There are many key metrics worth listing at the end of each year in the solar industry. In terms of the upstream/manufacturing side, two jump out as leading indicators for the year ahead.
The first is to rank the top-10 producers of the solar cells during the year.
PV Tech can reveal the preliminary Top 5 solar module manufacturers in 2016, based as usual on final shipment guidance from third quarter financial results.
Leading thin-film producer First Solar has decided to skip the previously planned migration to its Series 5 module platform, while bringing plans forward to migrate to its large-area Series 6 module technology to 2018.
Leading CdTe thin-film producer First Solar has reacted to plummeting global PV module and PV power plant PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) prices by undertaking a major review of its production capacity requirements and planned migrations to its Series 5 and Series 6 modules.
Leading CdTe thin-film producer First Solar has sold its PV power plant monitoring, control and supervision systems subsidiary, skytron energy to German business management firm, Liberta Partners. Financial details were not disclosed.
As we finalize the agenda for PVCellTech 2017 – to be held in Penang, Malaysia, on 14-15 March 2017 – one of the key goals is to understand how solar cell advances in mass production are driving module availability to the market.
Indian corporates are taking a significant share of the domestic solar PV market with Indian conglomerate Adani taking top spot in terms of capacity additions in the last year, according to consultancy firm Bridge to India.
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.
