Chinese Government Comes To the Rescue of its Domestic PV Manufacturers

Company News Release

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Shanghai, China (1^st August 2012) – China’s photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing base saw a major setback in the first and second quarters of 2012, with a severe slump in exports sparking the government to step in and further raise its PV installation target to 50GW according to the latest quarterly report on China’s PV market from IMS Research (recently acquired by IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS)). Tough competition in the global market place, vast oversupply and falling prices has put Chinese manufacturers’ balance sheets under huge pressure and China’s government has responded by more than doubling its long-term installation target from 20 to 50 GW by 2020.

Chinese Utilization Levels Sink

Chinese PV suppliers have continued to suffer along with the entire global supplier base amid highly competitive market conditions. Challenging conditions in the first half of 2012 and a bleak outlook in many major markets following incentive revisions and an on-going trade war in the U.S. and Europe have resulted in production stalling. Although a small number of manufacturers have been able to maintain reasonable utilization levels, a large number of polysilicon fabs remain closed, meaning that average polysilicon production utilization in China fell below 50 percent in the second quarter of 2012. Cell production also fell, largely impacted by the USA’s recent decision to impose import tariffs on cells manufactured in China leading to many suppliers increasing the amount of cells they source from Taiwan and other locations outside mainland China. Prices also continued to fall during the quarter, with module prices falling by a further 7 percent, bringing further bad news for China’s suppliers whose profit margins are already under huge pressure.

Domestic Policy to Rescue Chinese Suppliers?

“In an effort to restore confidence amongst its substantial PV supplier base and help meet its phenomenal energy requirements, China has more than doubled its PV installation target to 50 GW by 2020,” commented Frank Xie, senior market analyst at IMS Research. “This highly aggressive target could be achieved given the rate of deployment that China has already managed to achieve in the relatively short amount of time since its national FiT was launched, and provides a clear message that China will strongly support its PV industry in the future.”

Turnkey MW Inverters to Capture Share

According to IMS Research’s latest report, the huge potential of the Chinese PV market is attracting the attention of more than just the domestic supplier base and resulting in a diversifying range of products being sold into the market. “Large MW-scale turn-key inverter solutions are forecast to increase their share of the Chinese PV market in 2012 driven by their highly competitive upfront cost, and ease of installation and maintenance,” added Xie. Inverter solutions larger than 1 MW are forecast to double their share of the market over the next 2 years. IMS Research also forecasts that China will follow a similar trend seen in the European PV inverter market and begin to employ an increasing amount of small three-phase inverters in its fast growing rooftop installation.

IMS Research forecasts that PV installations in China will be a key driver in the growth of the global PV market. Installations are forecast to grow quickly in the second half of 2012 with over 10 GW installed over the next two years.

For more information please contact:

 

IMS Research: Ash Sharma, Research Director, T: +44 1933 402255,

Twitter: IMSResearch_PV

 

Contact details:

 

IHS Media Relations

Tel: +1 303 305 8021

 

Alternative Contacts:

 

Europe

Stacey May

, Tel: +44 1933 402 255

 

 

US

Stacy Hackenberg

Tel: +1 512 302 1977

 

 

Asia Pacific

Yvonne Zhang

Tel: +86 21 6720 1823

 

Follow us on twitter: IMSResearch_PV

 

About ‘China PV Market - Supply & Demand Quarterly’ report

 

This is the first detailed quarterly report that tracks the true supply and demand dynamics of China’s PV industry. Based on IMS Research’s complete coverage of the entire PV supply chain and its leading analyst team based in Shanghai, the report includes the capacity, production, shipment and exports of polysilicon, wafer/ingot, cell, module and inverter companies located in China. An assessment of domestic PV demand is included with analysis of policy, incentives and major PV projects, with forecast for installation volumes and prospects for the future development over the next five years. This report also provides profiles for key suppliers of poly/wafer/cell/module, inverters and system integrators.

 

 

About IHS Inc. (www.ihs.com)

IHS (NYSE: IHS) is the leading source of information, insight and analytics in critical areas that shape today's business landscape.  Businesses and governments in more than 165 countries around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence.  IHS has been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005.  Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS employs more than 6,000 people in more than 30 countries around the world.

 

 

About IMS Research (www.imsresearch.com)

IMS Research, recently acquired by IHS (NYSE: IHS), is a leading supplier of market research and consultancy to over 2500 clients worldwide, including most of the world’s largest technology companies. Established in the UK in 1989, IMS Research now has dedicated analyst teams focused on the factory automation, automotive, communications, computer, consumer, display, financial & ID, LED & lighting, medical, power & energy, solar PV, smart grid and security markets.  Currently publishing over 350 different syndicated report titles each year, these in-depth publications are used by major electronics and industrial companies to assess market trends, solve marketing problems, and improve the efficiency of their businesses.