Global PV manufacturing capacity expansion plans in October below 1GW

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
JA Solar had been one of the fastest growing SMSL members in recent years but had lagged behind in having either solar cell or module assembly production outside China, compared to some of its rivals. Image: JA Solar

PV Tech’s preliminary analysis of global PV manufacturing capacity expansion announcements in October 2016, reflect the continued reaction to the rapid decent into overcapacity at the beginning of the second half of the year. 

Total new planned capacity expansions in October reached 870MW from only two PV manufacturers, JA Solar and Suniva. 

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The 870MW plans only relate to solar cell expansions, indicating that no thin-film, dedicated module assembly or integrated cell/module expansions were reported in October.

The 870MW plans only relate to solar cell expansions, indicating that no thin-film, dedicated module assembly or integrated cell/module expansions were reported in October.

Reports highlighted that ‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member JA Solar was expanding capacity at its solar cell plant in Malaysia from 400MW initial nameplate capacity to 1GW. The plant was initiated in the first quarter of 2015 and started ramping in the fourth quarter of 2015. 

JA Solar had been one of the fastest growing SMSL members in recent years but had lagged behind in having either solar cell or module assembly production outside China, compared to some of its rivals. The company also had little penetration of the US market and the initiation of anti-dumping duties had prevented further market traction and had the smallest share in the US, by a wide margin compared to its SMSL rivals. 

However, as its capacity expansions in recent years had matched its overall market share gains the Malaysian plant is central to its US ambitions and circumvents US anti-dumping duties. Recently, JA Solar also left the European Union Minimum Import Price (MIP) as part of EU anti-dumping duties, as the Malaysian plant also circumvents these duties. 

JA Solar had doubled module shipments to the US in the second quarter of 2016 to 105MW representing 9% of total shipments in the quarter, while Europe represented 3.7% of shipments. Therefore, the Malaysian cell plant expansion should not come as a surprise, despite the current levels of global overcapacity. 

Most SMSL members have continued to distinguish themselves in the last two years by gaining increased global market share. 

US based PV manufacturer Suniva, majority owned by China-based Shunfeng International Clean Energy (SFCE) had expanded cell and module capacity from 200MW in 2014 to 430MW in the third quarter of 2016. 

In similar circumstances to JA Solar, SFCE had little US market presence, despite efforts but anti-dumping duties were a barrier to market re-entry. As the Suniva expansion came on stream, reports indicated that that SFCE had planned a further expansion to 700MW by mid-2017. 

The four months of the second half of 2016 have so far generated only 3,260MW of new capacity expansion announcements, compared to almost 40GW reported for the first four months of the year.

On a geographical basis, October expansion plans further highlight the lack of expansion plans in China last reported back in June, 2016, a four month lapse.
 
Although Suniva’s completed expansion and future plans are good for manufacturing in the US, recent news that Mission Solar was permanently shutting its 200MW in-house solar cell plant in Texas essentially negates the small growth in the PV manufacturing base in the US. 

The four months of the second half of 2016 have so far generated only 3,260MW of new capacity expansion announcements, compared to almost 40GW reported for the first four months of the year. 

8 October 2024
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 8-9 October 2024 is our second PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The event in 2023 was a sell out success and 2024 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
26 November 2024
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2025. PV ModuleTech Europe 2024 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.

Read Next

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
April 10, 2024
Dallas, Texas USA
Solar Media Events
April 17, 2024
Lisbon, Portugal
Solar Media Events
May 1, 2024
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
May 21, 2024
Napa, USA