Financial & Legal

Major tier-1 PV manufacturer JA Solar beat all key financial guidance metrics in the first quarter of 2014, due primarily to strong PV module demand coming from Japan and the UK.

Leading merchant solar cell producer, Neo Solar Power Corporation (NSP), has reported a new historical high in monthly shipments and expects the trend to continue due to strong demand and rising ASPs.

Leading photovoltaics energy provider, First Solar, has reported first quarter 2014 revenue well above guidance on a PV project pull-in but reiterated full-year revenue guidance would be unchanged at up to US$4 billion.

Inverter manufacturer Enphase Energy reported revenue of US$57.6 million for the first quarter of 2014, up 26% on the same period last year.

PV equipment specialist, centrotherm reported first quarter 2014 revenue of €39.5 million of which around 50% was attributed to payments on its turnkey polysilicon plant being built for Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec) in Qatar.

Banking giant Wells Fargo has invested US$100 million of tax equity financing in nine PV projects in North Carolina.

Bankrupt German-based PV firm, Sunways has sold its PV inverter and BIPV businesses to Shunfeng Photovoltaic for an undisclosed sum.

Advanced thermal processing equipment supplier, BTU International has reported first quarter 2014 sales of US$11.7 million, up 6.3% compared the previous quarter.

Despite a booming domestic market, Japanese electronics giant Panasonic reported stagnant PV module system sales for financial year 2013.

DuPont said that its DuPont Apollo amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin-film module manufacturing subsidiary’s operations would be permanently closed by the end of 2014.