First Solar

Top 15 Solar Module Suppliers Of 2013, Via IHS

Editor’s Note: Aside from the notes in the article below, a few other interesting things jumped out to me. 1) Despite going bankrupt and being delisted from the NYSE, Suntech managed to still make it into the top 15 in 2013! That’s somewhat impressive. 2) The only solar module supplier in the top 10 not

Top 15 Solar Module Suppliers Of 2013, Via IHS was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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By James Ayre | May 15, 2014 | Solar Energy |
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Top Solar Module Manufacturers of 2013

Top Solar Module Companies

The top 15 solar PV module manufacturers of 2013 have been revealed thanks to a new report from the market research firm IHS.

As many would no doubt guess, the list is dominated — yet again — by firms based in China. But, interestingly, the Japanese firms Sharp and Kyocera saw a bit of a resurgence — up a fair bit from previous years. Japan’s strong feed-in tariffs for solar and Japanese preference for Japan-made products was clearly part of this upswing.

Some other things to note — Yingli Green Energy (aka Yingli Solar) once again took the top spot; 7 out of the top 10 companies were based in China; and the total Chinese share of the market fell 1% to 58% — down from a 59% market share in 2012.

“The year 2013 marked the turnaround of global PV markets and the recovery of leading players in the photovoltaic industry,” stated Jessica Jin, an analyst for solar supply chains at IHS. “Chinese and Japanese PV module suppliers benefited from the surge in demand in their domestic markets, with China in particular accounting for more than a quarter of global installations in 2013 and becoming the leading region in the process.”

IHS provides more:

The Chinese as a group continued to be the star players of the global PV market, but there were also signs pointing to slower growth. While they continue to lead by far, 2013 also marks the second time their overall market share has not risen significantly. Chinese suppliers held a 57% share in 2011, 59% in 2012 and 58% last year.

European companies also maintained stable share in 2013 at 13% — nearly unchanged from 2011 and 2012. In contrast, the Japanese module industry enjoyed an increase to 15%, up from 12% in 2011. Meanwhile, US suppliers fell behind as their portion dropped to 9%, down from 13% in 2011.

While Sharp and Kyocera saw the most substantial rises, a third Japanese firm managed to rank in the top 15 as well, CIS thin-film producer Solar Frontier. Solar Frontier saw shipment growth of more than 60% in 2013.

The IHS report also noted that total global solar PV shipments hit 38.7 GW in 2013 — roughly a 24% increase over the previous year. Interestingly, much of the growth appeared to be from the top players — showing clearly the consolidation of the industry. The top 15 manufacturers held a 59% market share in 2013, up from 51% in 2012.

With regard to the continued consolidation of the solar PV manufacturing industry, that’s something that’s likely going to continue for some time — with the dropping of state-support, in many cases, being one of the main drivers.

That’s exactly what’s happening right now in China, with a recent order by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology doing a lot to “clean up” the industry — likely finishing off over 75% of the country’s solar panel and related component manufacturers.

Expect to see more of that in the near-future. And just note, this isn’t bad — it’s a natural part of a maturing industry.

Top Solar Module Manufacturers of 2013 was originally published on Solar Love!.

First Solar Reports 89% Surge In First-Quarter Net Profit

First Solar is continuing to do quite well, based on the most recent numbers released by the Arizona-based thin-film module manufacturer. An 89% boost (to $112 million dollars) in net profit as compared to the previous year, and a 26% year-on-year increase in net sales (up to $950.2 million dollars) ain’t too shabby.

The company has also reported 404 MW worth of new bookings during just the first three months of 2014. One of these bookings is the 53 MW Shams Ma’an project in Jordan.

first solar financials

Total revenue also rose significantly, up $182 million from the fourth quarter of 2013. The company has attributed much of the increase in revenue to the Campo Verde project.

The 139 MW Campo Verde Solar Project in California was sold last year to Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power and Turner Renewable Energy. Roughly 65% of the company’s revenue stems from the construction and sale of utility-scale solar farms.

Bloomberg provides more:

The company has identified 12.2 GW of potential new contracts over the next few years, with 59% coming from projects outside the US and “widespread utility scale interest in the US,” Hughes said yesterday during a conference call.

Net income in the first quarter rose to $112 million, or $1.10 a share, from $59.1 million, or 66 cents a share, a year earlier, the company said in a statement yesterday. That was more than double the 50-cent average of nine estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

First Solar CEO Jim Hughes stated: “We delivered strong earnings in the first quarter and are increasing our financial guidance for the year based on these results. We have also made significant progress in new bookings and continue to execute on our technology roadmap.”

In related news, First Solar just recently reported that it had set a new world record for cadmium-telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) module conversion efficiency, something which should further help the well-regarded solar company continue to be a market leader. The new record stands at 17% conversion efficiency — a pretty big boost from the previous record of 16.1%.

First Solar Reports 89% Surge In First-Quarter Net Profit was originally published on Solar Love!.

First Solar & Moapa Paiute Tribe Break Ground On 250 MW Solar Project

Enjoy the beautiful line of diversity and the faces of happy folks breaking ground on the 250 MW Solar Project of the Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project. Community, government, and energy industry leaders symbolically joined on March 21st to actively commemorate the start of construction for the project.

First_Solar_More_Shoveling_1_3

(From right to left) US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid joins Moapa Band of Paiutes Chairwoman Aletha Tom, First Solar CEO James Hughes, LADWP director of power system planning and development Randy Howard, and the Moapa Band of Paiutes Tribal Council to break ground on the 250 MW Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project.
Image Credit: First Solar

“Today’s event marks a very important milestone for Nevada, the Moapa Band of Paiutes, and tribal nations throughout the country,” said Reid. “The Moapa Southern Paiute Solar project is the first utility-scale solar project on tribal land and will deliver much needed economic benefits to the Tribe and Nevada. It will also create about 400 construction jobs, and replace dirty energy with clean solar power.”

The news release from First Solar states: ”U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) joined representatives from the Moapa Band of Paiutes, executives from First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), as well as other community, government and energy industry leaders to celebrate the start of construction of the 250 Megawatt (MW)AC Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project. The project is located on the Moapa River Indian Reservation just north of Las Vegas, and has a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the LADWP to deliver clean, solar energy for 25 years to the City of Los Angeles.”

Continuing, the news release describes how much of leadership from the Moapa Band of Paiutes will help to generate clean electricity and reduce pollution:

The power plant, anticipated to be fully operational by the end of 2015, is expected to generate enough clean solar energy to serve the needs of more than 93,000 homes. This amount of renewable energy will displace approximately 313,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually—the equivalent of taking about 60,000 cars off the road.

The project will play a key role in LADWP’s efforts to build a clean energy future by expanding renewable energy to 33 percent of its total power supply and eliminating coal power. Solar energy from the Moapa plant will contribute 2.4 percent toward LADWP’s renewable energy portfolio. This transformational goal also includes reducing energy use by at least 10 percent through energy efficiency measures; expanding local solar and other forms of distributed generation; initiating a robust demand-response program; and rebuilding local power plants to better integrate renewable energy and be more flexible to meet peak demand.

Of course, this will also help the Moapa Band of Paiutes. It will create jobs and economic growth. ”This is an important step in becoming a leader in Indian Country and will help to create a model for other Tribes to follow,” said Aletha Tom, Chairwoman of the Moapa Paiute Tribal Council. “If our small Tribe can accomplish this, then others can also. There are endless opportunities in renewable energy, and Tribes across the nation have the available land on which to build them.”

First_Solar_Harry_Reid

Read the entire press release for more information. Enjoy some more details about the Moapa Band of Paiutes here:

The Moapa Band of Paiutes is part of the Southern Paiute Nation with a mission to preserve its homeland, particularly the 72,000 acre Moapa River Indian Reservation, by building an independent and self-governing community and providing opportunities for economic, educational and cultural growth. The Paiutes respect and honor the land and all living things upon it, and the Tribe has the ability to be a front-runner in the clean energy field. The Tribe also operates farms, the Moapa Travel Plaza, a sand and gravel operation and has other future plans for expansion at the Valley of Fire area.

Read more on related solar stories:

Native American Tribe’s Push For Solar & Wind (To Replace Coal & Keep Out Natural Gas)

First Solar Module Cost To Almost Halve (While Natural Gas Prices Increase)

First Solar And GE Team Up For Next Generation PV Plants

First Solar & Moapa Paiute Tribe Break Ground On 250 MW Solar Project was originally published on Solar Love!.

Will Solar Stock Returns Keep Growing?

Originally published on Roen Financial Report. Any way you slice it, solar investing has been on a tear for the last year. Of the 69 solar stocks that the Roen Financial Report tracks, three-quarters are up for the year. On average solar stocks have gained 85% for the year, with 60% of solar companies up in the double digits.

Will Solar Stock Returns Keep Growing? was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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By Guest Contributor | March 27, 2014 | Solar Energy |
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First Solar And GE Team Up For Next-Generation PV Power Plants

First Solar announced on their website on Wednesday that they were teaming up with GE’s Power Conversion business to combine their technologies and create the next generation of utility-scale PV power plants which will be more cost effective and energy efficient. Combining First Solar’s thin-film CdTe modules and GE’s new ProSolar 1500 Volt inverter/transformer system

First Solar And GE Team Up For Next-Generation PV Power Plants was originally published on: CleanTechnica.

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By Joshua S Hill | March 20, 2014 | Solar Energy |
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First Solar Sets New Thin-Film Efficiency Record of 17%

First Solar announced on Wednesday that they had set a new world record for  cadmium-telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) module conversion efficiency, reaching a record of 17%, up from its previous record of 16.1% efficiency. The most recent tests were performed by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), nearly a year after the

First Solar Sets New Thin-Film Efficiency Record of 17% was originally published on: CleanTechnica.

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By Joshua S Hill | March 20, 2014 | Solar Energy |
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First Solar and Shams Ma’an Consortium Sign 52 MW PPA

Originally published on First Solar. AMMAN, Jordan & TEMPE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) and Shams Ma’an Power Generation today announced the signing of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for a planned 52.5 megawatt (MWAC) solar power plant in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The PPA was signed with the National Electric Power Company (NEPCO), the country’s regulatory authority for

First Solar and Shams Ma’an Consortium Sign 52 MW PPA was originally published on: CleanTechnica.

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By Guest Contributor | March 20, 2014 | Solar Energy |
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