Canadian Solar shipments soar

February 22, 2012
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Better than expected market demand, across multiple regions in the fourth quarter of 2011 has led to Canadian Solar significantly increasing its module shipment guidance, ahead of releasing Q4 and full-year results on March 7. Previously, the company guided fourth quarter shipments were expected to be in the range of 340MW – 360MW, inline with third quarter shipment levels and in contrast to many of its tier 1 rivals. However, the company expects shipments to be in the range of 430MW – 440 MW.

The quarterly increase means full-year shipments are expected to be in the range of 1,316MW – 1,326MW, compared to prior guidance in the range of 1,200MW – 1,300MW.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

“Canadian Solar continues to successfully execute on our business strategy. We are increasing shipments to customers in key markets worldwide, while at the same time aggressively reducing our manufacturing costs,” commented Dr. Shawn Qu, chairman and chief executive officer of Canadian Solar. “In the market place we are winning by stressing our global brand, product quality, high performance, reliability and customer service. We are seeing continued gains in both solar module shipments to installers and in shipments related to our expanding project business. As an illustration of our business momentum, we recently signed agreement for Canadian Solar to develop and sell 9 fully-operational and commissioned utility-scale solar projects in the Province of Ontario, which are expected to contribute to the Company's revenue and profitability between late 2012 and mid-2013.”

Canadian Solar also reiterated that gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2011 remained in-line with prior guidance of 5% to 8%.

Update

According to an investor research note by Avian Securities analyst, Mark Bachman believed Canadian Solar must have had plenty of inventory on-hand to meet the stronger than expected demand from customers. Bachman also noted that the company had issued its prior guidance in late November, which should have indicated that it should have had better visibility into the order trends for the remainder of Q4. 
 
The financial analyst believed the market share gain the revised guidance portrays would therefore be short-lived. Increased shipments were said to have been concentrated in the US and China, according to Bachman. 

Read Next

January 14, 2026
Solar dominated employment in the renewable energy sector in 2024, accounting for over 40% of the global renewables workforce, the most of any sector.
January 14, 2026
Lightsource bp has signed a virtual PPA with Toyota Motor North America to sell electricity generated at its 231MW Jones City 2 solar farm.
January 14, 2026
The US District Court of the District of Columbia has ruled that the Department of Energy’s (DOE) cancellation of awarded project grants constituted a violation of the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection of the laws.
January 14, 2026
DNV has forecast that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will add 860GW of new solar PV by 2040.
Premium
January 14, 2026
Analysis: As Eging PV comes under pressure to repay investment in an incomplete manufacturing facility, China’s solar manufacturers face an uphill struggle to put recent challenges behind them.
Premium
January 14, 2026
Africa added 2.4GW of new solar PV capacity in 2025, an accomplishment dubbed by AFSIA CEO John van Zuylen as 'very positive'.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
April 15, 2026
Milan, Italy
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain