JinkoSolar adding more manufacturing capacity as demand outstripping supply

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
PV module production is set to reach 16GW by year-end, up from previous plans to increase production to 15GW in 2019. Image: JinkoSolar

Leading ‘Solar Module Super League’ (SMSL) member, JinkoSolar is expanding production capacity of high-efficiency products to meet demand as the company is almost fully allocated for 2019. 

Kangping Chen, JinkoSolar's Chief Executive Officer commented: “We continue to see strong demand from overseas markets and have secured the vast majority of our order book for the rest of the year. The global solar market continues to generate rapid and sustainable growth momentum as grid parity approaches, in particular for our high-efficiency mono products which are continuously in short supply. Our global distribution network allowed us to quickly meet growing demand for our high-efficiency mono products over the past few quarters as the market transitioned. We are accelerating the expansion of our high-efficiency mono production capacity and estimate they will account for over 60% of our total shipments for the year.”

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

This is the third revision JinkoSolar has made to adding capacity for 2019. The SMSL plans to increase monocrystalline wafer production to 15GW by the end of the year, compared to previous plans to reach nameplate capacity of 11.5GW.

The SMSL plans to increase monocrystalline wafer production to 15GW by the end of the year, compared to previous plans to reach nameplate capacity of 11.5GW.

“Our new 5 GW mono wafer production facility in Leshan, Sichuan Province began trial production this month and will ramp up to full capacity by the fourth quarter of this year. This new production facility will serve as a benchmark for the industry with its cutting-edge technology and industry-leading cost structure. The additional mono wafer capacity will allow us to significantly increase the proportion of self-produced high-efficiency products and improve overall profitability,” added Chen.

Although solar cell capacity has not been increased, JinkoSolar reiterated that it expected to have a total of 10.0GW of nameplate capacity at the end of the year, which included 9.2GW of PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Cell) cells, including an unspecified capacity of PERC bifacial cells.
 
The company had raised US$160 million in May, 2019 in a ADS share offering to expand mono wafer and PERC cell capacities by migrating further in-house capacity to PERC. 

PV module production is set to reach 16GW by year-end, up from previous plans to increase production to 15GW in 2019.
 
“This year, we also launched the latest addition to our premium Cheetah products, the “Swan” bifacial module with a new DuPont Clear DuPont Tedlar-based backsheet,” also noted Chen. “This module uses lightweight materials, which alleviate a number of problems during the installation process and lower cost per kilowatt hour of electricity produced for our customers. We believe that demand for bifacial transparent backsheet products will grow rapidly as they become more mainstream going forward.”

JinkoSolar said that downstream demand from China, notably in the second-half of 2019 could reach 40GW on an annual basis, which is contrast with a recent forecast from PV InfoLink, reported by PV Tech. 

The company also noted that it expected European installations to hit 17GW this year, partially due to the cancellation of the minimum import price policy, resulting in a surge in demand from price-sensitive projects, according to the company.

With a module assembly base in production in the US, JinkoSolar said that US installations were expected to be in a range of 12GW to 15GW this year. Recent policy changes exempting bifacial solar modules from Section 201 tariffs in the US are expected to further accelerate medium and long-term demand and significantly increase the application of bifacial modules, JinkoSolar said. 

Financial results

JinkoSolar reported first quarter 2019 revenue of US$867.5 million, a decrease of 24.6% (US$1.1 billion) from the fourth quarter of 2018 and an increase of 27.5% from the first quarter of 2018. 

JinkoSolar reported first quarter 2019 revenue of US$867.5 million.

Gross margin was 16.6%, compared with 14.7% in the fourth quarter of 2018, and 14.4% in the first quarter of 2018. The sequential increase was said to be attributable to a higher proportion of self-produced high-efficiency mono products and further reductions in production cost in the first quarter of 2019
Income from operations was US$35.1 million, compared with US$34.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2018.

JinkoSolar reported module shipments of 3,037MW, an increase of 50.7% year-over-year and a decrease of 16.1% (3,618MW), sequentially.

JinkoSolar reported module shipments of 3,037MW.

Guidance

JinkoSolar guided second quarter PV module shipments to be in the range of 3.2GW to 3.3GW, while total module shipments in 2019 were expected to be in the range of 14GW to 15GW, unchanged from previous guidance. 

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 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.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 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.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will 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 out to 2030 and beyond.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

July 4, 2025
Chinese PV provider Skycorp Solar Group has announced a solar plant acquisition and development strategy following unanimous board approval.
July 4, 2025
Risen Energy’s mass-produced heterojunction (HJT) modules have reached a cell conversion efficiency of 26.61%, a record figure for the company.
July 3, 2025
Spanish IPP Zelestra has secured a €235 million (US$277 million) increase to its sustainability-linked loan, bringing the total to €770 million.
Premium
July 3, 2025
Meeting the UK’s solar targets will not simply require the installation of new capacity, but investment in grid infrastructure and training.
Premium
July 2, 2025
ANALYSIS: China's leading PV manufacturers are locked in a new round of competition, aiming to outpace each other through record-breaking feats.
July 1, 2025
French private equity firm Ardian Clean Energy Evergreen Fund (ACEEF) has bought 117 solar PV plants, worth 116MW of total capacity in several locations in Italy.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK