materials

US-based solar tracker manufacturer FTC Solar is expecting to record a loss of up to US$17.3 million in Q2 2021 as multiple headwinds combine to put a major drag on performance.

In the second part of a two-part feature on the solar industry’s response to polysilicon price increases, Carrie Xiao hears from industry leaders about the importance of technology innovation, efforts to reduce waste and the need to avoid cutting prices blindly just to appease customers.

Price increases in polysilicon and other auxiliary solar module materials have exerted much pressure on manufacturers, JA Solar has said, impacting on profitability in the first half of 2021. Xinming Huang, senior vice president at JA Solar, tells PV Tech how the company is responding.

Solar asset underperformance continues to worsen, with projects “chronically underperforming” P99 estimates and modules degrading faster than previously anticipated, risk management firm kWh Analytics has found.

Soaring polysilicon costs have tipped the solar manufacturing industry to the brink of crisis and while only expected to be in the short-term, the ramifications in 2021 could be significant. On the sidelines of SNEC 2021, Carrie Xiao speaks to experts from across the value chain to determine how solar PV can tackle supply chain constraints.

Solar wafer and cell manufacturers in China have hiked their prices once again this month after a jump in spot prices for polysilicon in the country, while earthquakes have also disrupted upstream production.

Maxeon Solar Technologies saw its opening quarter loss widen by 22% year-on-year as materials and logistics costs continue to be a thorn in the side of solar manufacturers.

As Canadian Solar's manufacturing arm slumps to a loss amidst soaring costs, Liam Stoker analyses how the 'Solar Module Super League' manufacturer is responding to the crisis.

Major polysilicon provider Daqo New Energy has reported a rise in revenues as average selling prices (ASPs) inched upward in the opening quarter, however the firm’s ASPs could effectively double in Q2.

The Solar Media podcast is back for another episode, and Liam Stoker and Andy Colthorpe explores the deepening materials crisis impacting upstream solar manufacturing, through from modules to trackers.