PV inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology said it would close production facilities in Denver, US, and Cape Town, South Africa on continued competition issues and consolidate global inverter production in Germany and China.
High-efficiency PV module producer and project developer SunPower said it was reducing its focus in PV power plant development outside the US and focusing more resources to the distributed generation market in the US.
Taiwan-based solar cell and wafer producers are being impacted by slowing demand from China and unfolding overcapacity that has resulted in ASP declines hitting monthly revenue figures since June.
China-based polysilicon and wafer producer Daqo New Energy has reported record production and financial metrics on strong demand in the second quarter of 2016.
Chinese solar cell and module manufacturer Hareon Solar Technology is bouncing back after its US$90 million lawsuit last year with new investment in its PV business and a new partnership.
Specialist PV manufacturing equipment supplier Amtech Systems backed-up previous quarters order bookings with solar equipment sales in its third fiscal quarter of 2016, reaching US$19 million.
In this week's Movers & Shakers segment, PV Tech focuses on employment shakeups in the US, Europe and Asia as key renewables companies reveal some hires and departures from the last fortnight.
Leading CdTe thin-film producer First Solar is undergoing a mid-year restructuring that includes cost cutting activities that should generate a US$2 billion balance sheet cushion against changing solar business dynamics and a looming revenue and shipment hole facing the company in 2017.
With First Solar’s revenue and shipment guidance unchanged and basically locked-in for 2016, despite solar industry dynamics becoming increasingly fluid, filling demand for 3GW of thin-film module capacity in 2017 has become a priority for management as a rather large hole in bookings is proving difficult to fill.
Leading CdTe thin-film producer First Solar is undertaking a further round of restructuring that targets its EPC and O&M operations after its decision to shutdown its TetraSun crystalline silicon operations in Malaysia in early July.
