In an interview with pv magazine, Bart Wansink, CEO of Search4Solar, said Europe’s solar module market is moving away from the extreme oversupply that enabled continuous price declines and a “wait-and-buy-cheaper” procurement strategy over the past two years. He added that leaner inventories, more disciplined production, and shifting procurement behaviour suggest a more balanced market where timing and supply security are becoming more important than further price drops.
For much of the past two years, Europe’s solar industry has been shaped by a very specific market condition: abundant module oversupply. Global manufacturing expansion, combined with softer-than-expected demand in certain regions, led to a sustained period in which supply consistently exceeded demand. The result was predictable and, for buyers, highly advantageous. Warehouses filled up, spot prices declined almost continuously, and procurement strategies across Europe began to converge on a single assumption—waiting would almost always lead to better prices.
That logic became embedded not only in trading behaviour, but also in project planning. Developers delayed procurement decisions, EPCs renegotiated supply contracts closer to installation dates, and distributors competed aggressively to move excess stock. In many cases, holding off buying became a rational strategy, as each month of delay often translated into incremental cost savings.
