Japanese and Korean module suppliers rise in the ranks

BOSTON, MA – March 14, 2012 – First Solar and Suntech led in module manufacturing in 2011 with both having around 2 GW of module production, according to Lux Research's latest Solar Supply Tracker. Crystalline silicon module prices continue to be at a record low with Tier 1 manufacturers selling around $0.9/W while Tier 2 and Tier 3 manufacturers sold at even lower rates to burn through their inventories and survive the current market conditions.

The top 10 companies added up to 12.5 GW of module production, a significant share at 44% of the 2011 total global module production. It is interesting to note that Sharp, a Japanese module manufacturer, and Hanwha, a South Korean module manufacturer, are also in the top 10. Heightened interest in both countries to increase the share of photovoltaic generated power in their energy infrastructure was triggered both by the Fukushima nuclear disaster and competition with China, which continues to support its photovoltaic industry. Another notable Japanese company, Solar Frontier, makes copper-indium-selenide (CIS) modules and according to the Lux Research Solar Supply Tracker, has consistently ranked in the global top 25 module manufacturers since Q2 2011.

According to Fatima Toor, the Lux Research Analyst who led the Solar Supply Tracker, "Expect to see a major rise in market share from Japanese and Korean suppliers, while European module manufacturers struggle with financial woes and reduced government incentives for solar in Europe."

Top 10 2011 Module Manufacturers (In Order)

First Solar - 7% - 2,001 MW

Suntech Power - 6.5% -1866 MW

Yingli Green Energy - 5.5% - 1,554 MW

Trina Solar - 4.9% - 1,395 MW

Canadian Solar - 4.8% - 1,363 MW

Sharp - 4.1% - 1,155 MW

Hanwha Solar One - 2.9% - 825 MW

Jinko - 2.8% - 782 MW

LDK Solar - 2.7% - 774 MW

SolarWorld - 2.7% - 767 MW

Available only from Lux Research, the Solar Supply Tracker provides a customizable platform for tracking the capacity and production of five key value chain segments in photovoltaics: polysilicon, ingot, wafer, cell and module. The cell and module segments track crystalline silicon (x-Si), thin-film silicon (TF-Si), copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), cadmium telluride (CdTe) and organic photovoltaic (OPV) companies, while the polysilicon, ingot and wafer value chain segments are specific to x-Si. Lux Research tracks over 400 companies globally across all value chain segments.

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