US firm First Solar cemented its position as the world’s leading solar engineering, procurement and construction contractor last year, but is set to be overtaken in 2014.
According to NPD Solarbuzz, Sharp Corporation shipped the highest volume of PV modules in the world in the first quarter of 2014, something it has been unable to achieve in the last five years.
The Energy and Resources Institute in India (TERI) has published energy policy recommendations for India’s newly elected government, calling for a reinvigorated drive to deploy solar.
The Precious Metals business group of Heraeus posted product revenue of €1.29 billion in 2013, which includes its Thick Film Materials segment that includes conductive pastes for the solar industry.
Last week, GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) reported first quarter sales of only US$23 million, which included US$13 million in sales from its PV segment and US$4 million from its Polysilicon segment.
PV module encapsulant material supplier, STR Holdings continues to struggle transitioning its business and product portfolio after loosing its major customer, First Solar earlier in 2013.
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.
Aggressive targeting of the US PV inverter market by European suppliers has led to a fragmented supplier base, while revenues from inverters in the US, China and Japan leaped by US$1.7 billion in 2013, according to new analysis by IHS.
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.