The acquisition of US-based PV manufacturer, Silevo, by the largest US PV installer, SolarCity, has caused a storm and turned recent business trends within the industry on their head. Mark Osborne analyses the deal and its implications for the industry.
A key topic of debate during SNEC 2014 in Shanghai has been the concern over meeting Chinese government targets for distributed generation (DG), which are becoming seen as increasingly over ambitious.
Market research firm, IHS has published its PV module supplier rankings for 2013, highlighting the continued dominance of Chinese producers but resurgence from two major Japanese firms.
After two years of living hand to mouth, PV manufacturers are once again looking at building new production capacity as demand booms. Mark Osborne charts the expansion plans of the industry's leading suppliers.
According to new analysis from market research firm IHS sufficient PV module supply outside China and Taiwan exists to meet expected demand in the US in 2014, dampening panic buying before a US anti-dumping judgement due later this year.
