USA: DisplaySearch has recently published a new report on the solar industry -- the Quarterly PV Cell Capacity Database & Trends Report.
Solar is a hot industry: PV cell production capacity will more than double between 2009 and 2013 as individuals, businesses and governments turn toward greener alternatives to satisfy their growing energy demands. It is also an uncertain industry: Technology is evolving; government policy is in flux; the market is global and hard to track.
Covering more than 230 solar cell manufacturers, the new Quarterly PV Cell Capacity Database & Trends report will illuminate developments in this industry, including which technologies are dominating, which companies are growing and where production is clustering.
Report highlights include
* PV cell capacity in megawatts, broken down by country, manufacturer, factory, technology, equipment, glass size, install dates and more.
* Historical and forecast ramped capacity from 2000-2013 with quarterly and annual sums as well as nameplate values.
* Graphical and database-style information for both quick reads and in-depth study.
Showing posts with label global solar photovoltaics market. Show all posts
Showing posts with label global solar photovoltaics market. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Q-Cells sales fall in H1 by 36.8 percent, announces comprehensive set of measures
BITTERFELD-WOLFEN, GERMANY: The photovoltaics company Q-Cells SE presented its half-year report up to 30 June 2009. Following the considerable decline in business performance for Q-Cells SE in the first six months of the current year, the Board of Management is introducing a comprehensive set of measures to fundamentally improve the company’s performance.
As already stated, sales in the first half of the year fell from 579.5 million Euro in the previous year period to 366.2 million Euro. A profit in business operations (EBIT) of 119.1 million Euro in the first six months of last year is countered by an operating loss of -47.6 million Euro over the same period in 2009.
Influenced by a further write-down in connection with the sale of its share in Renewable Energy Corporation ASA (REC) in May, the period loss incurred for the first half of 2009 was 696.9 million Euro.
The production volume has remained almost constant at 272.2 MWp in comparison with the first half of 2008. Q-Cells’ business was harmed by negative pricing trends in the industry and reduced customer volumes. Q-Cells International, a fully consolidated subsidiary of Q-Cells SE, performed generally better and continued to grow rapidly building solar parks.
The company achieved an EBIT of 8.0 million Euro during the half-year on sales of 128.0 million Euro and, amongst other projects, is currently erecting Germany’s biggest ever solar park in Strasskirchen in Bavaria with a capacity of around 54 MWp.
“The business performance shows how quickly and dramatically the markets have changed for us. In order to take rapid and comprehensive countermeasures, we have developed Q-Cells Reloaded, a three-tier set of measures with which we will adapt Q-Cells to market conditions which have structurally changed. The aim is to grow profitably at a sustainable rate again in the medium term,” says Anton Milner, CEO of Q-Cells SE.
Milner further says: “Of course we feel the pressure on prices that comes from overcapacities and the financing of major projects, which remains sluggish because of the financial crisis. We will tackle these and other issues most resolutely in the context of Q-Cells Reloaded.”
In addition, operating profit has been affected by long-term contracts with wafer suppliers which have been working to the company’s disadvantage, by manufacturing partly at too high costs by international comparison and also by comparatively high overheads.
“Q-Cells Reloaded” set of measures
The set of measures comprises the following:
1. Adjust capacity and lower costs
As a result of the oversupply of silicon wafers, the market price for this preliminary product in the short-term has, since the beginning of the year, been below the price level that Q-Cells agreed with its suppliers in its contracts for 2009.
In the first half year alone this resulted in a competitive disadvantage of around 50 million Euro. In 2010 the contracts will be brought into line with the market price so that this disadvantage will largely be eliminated.
In addition, the cost structure of the older generation production lines at the Thalheim location lies around 30 percent above the usually accepted level in international competition. This is mainly the result of substantial scale effects which could be achieved with larger production lines and the technical condition of the old equipment. For this reason the Board of Management has decided to shut down these production lines.
Together with the necessary reduction in overheads in all areas, around 500 jobs will be cut permanently. Short-time work will continue to be in operation at the Thalheim plant depending on the market development. Altogether a reduction of production cost of 25 percent will be achieved with these measures.
2. Strengthening of technology position
Q-Cells is focusing its research in the solar cell sector on projects that are marketable and where success can be expected in the short to medium term.
Most recently, an efficiency of 18.3 percent was achieved for monocrystalline cells. “On this basis, we will achieve a 20 percent efficiency in our R&D lines by the end of 2011”, explains Gerhard Rauter, Member of the Executive Board and responsible for production.
Within its technology portfolio Q-Cells will in the future concentrate on the thin-film companies Solibro (CIGS) and Calyxo (CdTe), where it controls these companies. The Executive Board of Q-Cells has requested that Calyxo proves its technological potential in mass production by the end of 2009. The efficiency of Solibro’s best thin layer modules has most recently been 11.7 percent.
Solibro started mass production in 2008 and has since then produced about 9 MWp of thin-film modules. For its other investments, Q-Cells will continue working with partners to further expand these companies.
3. Securing medium-term liquidity reserves
In order to create sufficient room to manoeuvre for the transitory phase until the beginning of 2011, Q-Cells’ in-house financing is to be reinforced. All investment projects, especially those for 2010, will be reviewed again and the capital commitment in projects and stocks reduced. In contrast to the original plan, Q-Cells expects a reduced outlay of up to 300 million Euro.
“We are able to reduce the cash requirement by around 200 million Euro through tight working capital management in production and in the project business. We can avoid a further cash outflow of up to 100 million Euro through a reduction in our investment programme,” says Dr. Nedim Cen, CFO of Q-Cells SE.
“After the great successes in the start-up period, for which we also have to thank a unique team, we now face some big challenges. To steer Q-Cells safely through the crisis and give the company a long-term perspective at the Thalheim location, these measures, including a cut in personnel, are unavoidable.
“We appreciate that this is a very painful step to take. At the same time we are even managing to create new positions in the Research & Development, Sales & Marketing and thin-film companies so that in future we will be able to differentiate ourselves from our competitors even more strongly by having a technological edge”, Milner concludes.
With the change in the photovoltaic markets, new sectors and regions will also open up. In addition to its core business Q-Cells will in future engage more in systems integration by building on the project business of Q-Cells International which is already a well-known player in the market. Milner said: “We will be offering our own system know-how to selected markets.”
As already stated, sales in the first half of the year fell from 579.5 million Euro in the previous year period to 366.2 million Euro. A profit in business operations (EBIT) of 119.1 million Euro in the first six months of last year is countered by an operating loss of -47.6 million Euro over the same period in 2009.
Influenced by a further write-down in connection with the sale of its share in Renewable Energy Corporation ASA (REC) in May, the period loss incurred for the first half of 2009 was 696.9 million Euro.
The production volume has remained almost constant at 272.2 MWp in comparison with the first half of 2008. Q-Cells’ business was harmed by negative pricing trends in the industry and reduced customer volumes. Q-Cells International, a fully consolidated subsidiary of Q-Cells SE, performed generally better and continued to grow rapidly building solar parks.
The company achieved an EBIT of 8.0 million Euro during the half-year on sales of 128.0 million Euro and, amongst other projects, is currently erecting Germany’s biggest ever solar park in Strasskirchen in Bavaria with a capacity of around 54 MWp.
“The business performance shows how quickly and dramatically the markets have changed for us. In order to take rapid and comprehensive countermeasures, we have developed Q-Cells Reloaded, a three-tier set of measures with which we will adapt Q-Cells to market conditions which have structurally changed. The aim is to grow profitably at a sustainable rate again in the medium term,” says Anton Milner, CEO of Q-Cells SE.
Milner further says: “Of course we feel the pressure on prices that comes from overcapacities and the financing of major projects, which remains sluggish because of the financial crisis. We will tackle these and other issues most resolutely in the context of Q-Cells Reloaded.”
In addition, operating profit has been affected by long-term contracts with wafer suppliers which have been working to the company’s disadvantage, by manufacturing partly at too high costs by international comparison and also by comparatively high overheads.
“Q-Cells Reloaded” set of measures
The set of measures comprises the following:
1. Adjust capacity and lower costs
As a result of the oversupply of silicon wafers, the market price for this preliminary product in the short-term has, since the beginning of the year, been below the price level that Q-Cells agreed with its suppliers in its contracts for 2009.
In the first half year alone this resulted in a competitive disadvantage of around 50 million Euro. In 2010 the contracts will be brought into line with the market price so that this disadvantage will largely be eliminated.
In addition, the cost structure of the older generation production lines at the Thalheim location lies around 30 percent above the usually accepted level in international competition. This is mainly the result of substantial scale effects which could be achieved with larger production lines and the technical condition of the old equipment. For this reason the Board of Management has decided to shut down these production lines.
Together with the necessary reduction in overheads in all areas, around 500 jobs will be cut permanently. Short-time work will continue to be in operation at the Thalheim plant depending on the market development. Altogether a reduction of production cost of 25 percent will be achieved with these measures.
2. Strengthening of technology position
Q-Cells is focusing its research in the solar cell sector on projects that are marketable and where success can be expected in the short to medium term.
Most recently, an efficiency of 18.3 percent was achieved for monocrystalline cells. “On this basis, we will achieve a 20 percent efficiency in our R&D lines by the end of 2011”, explains Gerhard Rauter, Member of the Executive Board and responsible for production.
Within its technology portfolio Q-Cells will in the future concentrate on the thin-film companies Solibro (CIGS) and Calyxo (CdTe), where it controls these companies. The Executive Board of Q-Cells has requested that Calyxo proves its technological potential in mass production by the end of 2009. The efficiency of Solibro’s best thin layer modules has most recently been 11.7 percent.
Solibro started mass production in 2008 and has since then produced about 9 MWp of thin-film modules. For its other investments, Q-Cells will continue working with partners to further expand these companies.
3. Securing medium-term liquidity reserves
In order to create sufficient room to manoeuvre for the transitory phase until the beginning of 2011, Q-Cells’ in-house financing is to be reinforced. All investment projects, especially those for 2010, will be reviewed again and the capital commitment in projects and stocks reduced. In contrast to the original plan, Q-Cells expects a reduced outlay of up to 300 million Euro.
“We are able to reduce the cash requirement by around 200 million Euro through tight working capital management in production and in the project business. We can avoid a further cash outflow of up to 100 million Euro through a reduction in our investment programme,” says Dr. Nedim Cen, CFO of Q-Cells SE.
“After the great successes in the start-up period, for which we also have to thank a unique team, we now face some big challenges. To steer Q-Cells safely through the crisis and give the company a long-term perspective at the Thalheim location, these measures, including a cut in personnel, are unavoidable.
“We appreciate that this is a very painful step to take. At the same time we are even managing to create new positions in the Research & Development, Sales & Marketing and thin-film companies so that in future we will be able to differentiate ourselves from our competitors even more strongly by having a technological edge”, Milner concludes.
With the change in the photovoltaic markets, new sectors and regions will also open up. In addition to its core business Q-Cells will in future engage more in systems integration by building on the project business of Q-Cells International which is already a well-known player in the market. Milner said: “We will be offering our own system know-how to selected markets.”
Monday, August 10, 2009
Worldwide photovoltaic market - 2013
NEW YORK, USA: Reportlinker.com announced that a new market research report is available in its catalog -- the Worldwide Photovoltaic Market - 2013.
In 2008, the global PV market reached 5.6GW and the cumulative PV power installed totaled almost 15GW compared to 9GW in 2007.
Spain represented almost half of the new installations in 2008 with about 2.5GW of new capacities, followed by Germany with 1.5GW of additional connected.
The US confirmed its trend with 342MW of newly-installed PV systems, followed by South Korea, which registered 274MW of PV installations over the year. Italy connected almost 260MW, while France, Portugal, Belgium and the Czech Republic made good scores confirming Europe’s worldwide leadership in the deployment of solar PV energy.
A diversification of the market is taking place with countries adopting appropriate support policies, this is very good news for the PV industry and the environment. Given the current crisis context, high uncertainties over the 2009 market exist.
Experts believe the market could reach up to 7GW in 2009, each individual country’s development influencing the final figure. The PV sector is hoping markets such as the US, Germany, France and Italy will pull the demand. Favourable policy frameworks are expected to further accelerate PV deployment in these countries.
In 2013, the worldwide PV market could reach 22GW if appropriate policies, such as feed-in tariffs (FiT), are in place.
In 2008, the global PV market reached 5.6GW and the cumulative PV power installed totaled almost 15GW compared to 9GW in 2007.
Spain represented almost half of the new installations in 2008 with about 2.5GW of new capacities, followed by Germany with 1.5GW of additional connected.
The US confirmed its trend with 342MW of newly-installed PV systems, followed by South Korea, which registered 274MW of PV installations over the year. Italy connected almost 260MW, while France, Portugal, Belgium and the Czech Republic made good scores confirming Europe’s worldwide leadership in the deployment of solar PV energy.
A diversification of the market is taking place with countries adopting appropriate support policies, this is very good news for the PV industry and the environment. Given the current crisis context, high uncertainties over the 2009 market exist.
Experts believe the market could reach up to 7GW in 2009, each individual country’s development influencing the final figure. The PV sector is hoping markets such as the US, Germany, France and Italy will pull the demand. Favourable policy frameworks are expected to further accelerate PV deployment in these countries.
In 2013, the worldwide PV market could reach 22GW if appropriate policies, such as feed-in tariffs (FiT), are in place.
Friday, June 19, 2009
LDK Solar produces larger size ingots
XINYU CITY, CHINA & SUNNYVALE, USA: LDK Solar Co. Ltd, a manufacturer of multicrystalline solar wafers, announced that it has successfully produced a multicrystalline silicon ingot weighing 660kg.
The 660kg ingot was the largest ingot produced at LDK Solar and represents a 46.7 percent increase in capacity from the standard 450kg ingot. Maximum furnace capacity is approximately 800kg.
“We reached an important milestone on the roadmap of our technology development for multi-crystalline silicon ingots,” stated Dr. Yuepeng Wan, Chief Technology Officer at LDK Solar.
"We have continued to develop technology aimed at solidifying and augmenting LDK Solar’s cost leadership position. Our objective with this development was to improve product quality and at the same time decrease the cost of multicrystalline ingot production. The larger ingots will lower capital expenditure and contribute to the reduction of production cost. The increased charge size directly contributes to lower power consumption, higher yields, improved efficiencies of downstream processing equipment, and reduced unit consumption of consumables and some direct costs.”
The 660kg ingot was the largest ingot produced at LDK Solar and represents a 46.7 percent increase in capacity from the standard 450kg ingot. Maximum furnace capacity is approximately 800kg.
“We reached an important milestone on the roadmap of our technology development for multi-crystalline silicon ingots,” stated Dr. Yuepeng Wan, Chief Technology Officer at LDK Solar.
"We have continued to develop technology aimed at solidifying and augmenting LDK Solar’s cost leadership position. Our objective with this development was to improve product quality and at the same time decrease the cost of multicrystalline ingot production. The larger ingots will lower capital expenditure and contribute to the reduction of production cost. The increased charge size directly contributes to lower power consumption, higher yields, improved efficiencies of downstream processing equipment, and reduced unit consumption of consumables and some direct costs.”
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
PV market to contract in 2009
WELLINGBOROUGH, UK: According to IMS Research’s latest analysis, the global PV market is set to contract for the first time in 2009 in terms of new installations.
IMS Research’s ongoing analysis shows that although the PV market doubled in 2008 in MW terms, a contraction in shipments is anticipated in 2009. This will be caused by the sudden drop-off in demand from Spain, with its newly implemented 500MW cap.
This is likely to result in a shortfall of some 1.5-2GW in 2009. Although this will in part be counter-balanced by growth in Italy and Eastern Europe, the dramatic decline of the Spanish market will lead to an overall drop in worldwide shipments.
Research Analyst Sam Wilkinson commented: “Despite credit issues, most major PV markets look healthy and are showing promise of significant growth. However, even if their countries’ solar capacities grow at the high levels they saw in 2008, they cannot make up for the unprecedented contraction that the Spanish market will see this year.”
Wilkinson added, “Many analysts are now predicting a decline in PV module revenues this year; IMS Research, having analysed the likely performance of individual countries, believes that MW shipments will also be lower.”
In spite of this, underlying demand for PV remains very healthy; long term, double-digit annual growth rates can be expected.
The market is likely to see dramatic changes in the next few years, with the emergence of new technologies such as micro-inverters; and the development of new and attractive regional markets such as the US, which to date has made up a low proportion of the overall global market.
Difficulties in obtaining financing will restrain US market growth this year. However, in the medium term it is anticipated to become one of the largest markets for PV.
IMS Research’s ongoing analysis shows that although the PV market doubled in 2008 in MW terms, a contraction in shipments is anticipated in 2009. This will be caused by the sudden drop-off in demand from Spain, with its newly implemented 500MW cap.
This is likely to result in a shortfall of some 1.5-2GW in 2009. Although this will in part be counter-balanced by growth in Italy and Eastern Europe, the dramatic decline of the Spanish market will lead to an overall drop in worldwide shipments.
Research Analyst Sam Wilkinson commented: “Despite credit issues, most major PV markets look healthy and are showing promise of significant growth. However, even if their countries’ solar capacities grow at the high levels they saw in 2008, they cannot make up for the unprecedented contraction that the Spanish market will see this year.”
Wilkinson added, “Many analysts are now predicting a decline in PV module revenues this year; IMS Research, having analysed the likely performance of individual countries, believes that MW shipments will also be lower.”
In spite of this, underlying demand for PV remains very healthy; long term, double-digit annual growth rates can be expected.
The market is likely to see dramatic changes in the next few years, with the emergence of new technologies such as micro-inverters; and the development of new and attractive regional markets such as the US, which to date has made up a low proportion of the overall global market.
Difficulties in obtaining financing will restrain US market growth this year. However, in the medium term it is anticipated to become one of the largest markets for PV.
2009 remains cloudy for solar inverter market
WELLINGBOROUGH, UK: The global market for PV inverters is likely to fall by 27 percent this year to under $2 billion according to the latest analysis from IMS Research.
Despite the record growth seen in 2008, with the market growing by 95 percent to reach $2.5 billion, this year is set to be very different. IMS Research’s ongoing analysis of the market shows that in the first quarter of 2009 worldwide inverter shipments fell 45 percent compared to the previous year.
Research analyst and report co-author, Sam Wilkinson commented: “A sharp decrease in inverter shipments in 2009 is forecast due to four key factors: the restricted access to credit which has delayed major projects, the 500MW cap implemented by Spain’s Government, the particularly harsh winter in Europe which has delayed installations and the sudden drop in PV module prices.”
Wilkinson added: “We have seen falling module prices having an adverse affect on the market as suppliers have reduced prices so dramatically that end users are now waiting further in order to buy at the lowest possible price.”
Wilkinson continued, “Although this year the outlook for the market is not good, it is forecast to continue growing from 2010 onwards, exceeding $4 billion in the next five years.”
Despite the record growth seen in 2008, with the market growing by 95 percent to reach $2.5 billion, this year is set to be very different. IMS Research’s ongoing analysis of the market shows that in the first quarter of 2009 worldwide inverter shipments fell 45 percent compared to the previous year.
Research analyst and report co-author, Sam Wilkinson commented: “A sharp decrease in inverter shipments in 2009 is forecast due to four key factors: the restricted access to credit which has delayed major projects, the 500MW cap implemented by Spain’s Government, the particularly harsh winter in Europe which has delayed installations and the sudden drop in PV module prices.”
Wilkinson added: “We have seen falling module prices having an adverse affect on the market as suppliers have reduced prices so dramatically that end users are now waiting further in order to buy at the lowest possible price.”
Wilkinson continued, “Although this year the outlook for the market is not good, it is forecast to continue growing from 2010 onwards, exceeding $4 billion in the next five years.”
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