Last week we reported that the price of high-purity quartz (HPQ) used in Czochralski crucibles had halved. That was a climb-down from a price-spike plateau, stretching back to May 2023, during which HPQ, via the disposable crucibles consumed in the ingot-pulling step of the supply chain, contributed over 1% of final module cost – we think perhaps even as much as 3%, depending on how wafer makers were able to adjust their operations (in terms of changing crucible lifespans and the division of outer-, middle- and lower-grade HPQ within the crucibles). Back in December 2021, the price for this high-grade quartz was only around $1,500 – the increase was by a factor of 40. The resulting massive profits made were…