Thursday, November 29, 2007

China to release first energy law

A soon-to-be-released draft of China's first energy law will focus on unifying administration of the sector. The draft has been distributed to government officials for comment and will soon be open to public comment as well.

The energy bill deals with major issues, like conservation, safety and technological innovation. Government agencies related to the energy sector will be streamlined to unify energy administration.

He Yongjian from State Energy Management Office said, "Take energy alternatives for example. China mainly depends on coal as its energy, but coal is not renewable, and burning coal can also lead to many environmental problems. By enacting the energy law, alternative strategies such as developing new energy and renewable energy will be specified in detail."

He Yongjian says the draft requires coal to be used in multiple ways. It also specifies uses of energy in rural areas.

He Yongjian said, "The government will provide preferential policies for the rural population to use wind and solar power, hydropower and methane where suitable."

The energy bill is expected to be submitted for review to the State Council early next year.

Editor: Zhang Ning

Chinese firms mull silicon JV for solar production

SHANGHAI, Nov 28 (Reuters) - China's Baoding Tianwei Baobian Electric Co Ltd said on Wednesday it plans to jointly invest in projects worth a combined 4.9 billion yuan ($663.4 million) to make polysilicon products used in solar energy equipment.

Under a tentative plan, Tianwei Baobian plans to build two plants, each with an annual capacity of 3,000 tonnes, in the southwestern province of Sichuan, it said in a statement.

China is encouraging solar power production as part of efforts to boost renewable energy and cut its dependence on coal to fuel its booming economy.

Some Chinese solar companies such as Suntech Power Co and JA Solar Holdings Co Ltd have listed shares in the overseas stock markets. But tight silicon supplies have hampered panel production from small solar companies.

Tianwei plans to have a 51 percent stake in one of the polysilicon projects, with Sichuan Minjiang Hydropower Co Ltd taking a 14 percent stake and the Sichuan Provincial Investment Corp having the remaining 35 percent, the statement said.

In the other polysilicon project, Tianwei plans to take a 49 percent stake and another Sichuan-based company -- Leshan Electric Power Co Ltd -- plans to have a 51 percent interest, it said.
The projects require regulatory approval, it added.

Leshan Electric and Minjiang Hydropower issued similar statements about the silicon projects on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Charlie Zhu; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Yingli Green Energy adds to polysilicon and ingot capacity

Yingli Green Energy has made further polysilicon supply procurements and furnace purchases in its bid to double production in 2008 from 200MW to 400MW in polysilicon ingots, wafers, PV cells and PV modules. A new polysilicon supply agreement with an unidentified supplier adds 40MW of PV modules over the life of three separate contracts, according to the company. Yingli currently expects the delivery of the polysilicon under the contracts to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2008.

"We are delighted to have entered into these contracts which we expect will further strengthen our polysilicon supply for the near future," said Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy. "Actively seeking to further establish and strengthen our strategic relationships with our suppliers has been one of our key strategic initiatives and we will continue to aggressively pursue this strategic initiative at a time global polysilicon supply remains tight." In a separate move, Yingli Green Energy has purchased multiple DSS450 furnaces from GT Solar. This is Yingli's fourth and largest order of GT Solar's DSS furnaces that grow multi-crystalline ingots up to 450kg, which is worth $56 million, according to GT Solar.GT Solar President and CEO Tom Zarrella said: "Their purchase of our new DSS 450 furnace will provide up to 80 percent more capacity per cycle and within the same footprint of our prior generation furnace. "Upon installation and ramp, Yingli said that its installed ingot capacity would reach approximately 600MW in 2009.

Yingli Green Energy Announces Three Polysilicon Purchase Contracts

BAODING, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (NYSE:YGE) ("Yingli Green Energy" or the "Company"), one of the leading vertically integrated photovoltaic (PV) product manufacturers in China, today announced it has signed three polysilicon contracts with a leading polysilicon manufacturer. The total amount of polysilicon to be supplied under the contracts will allow Yingli Green Energy to produce over 40 MW of PV modules over the life of the contracts. The delivery schedule for the polysilicon under the contracts has not been finalized. Based on the discussions of the parties with respect to the contracts, the Company currently expects the delivery of the polysilicon under the contracts to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2008.

"We are delighted to have entered into these contracts which we expect will further strengthen our polysilicon supply for the near future," said Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy. "Actively seeking to further establish and strengthen our strategic relationships with our suppliers has been one of our key strategic initiatives and we will continue to aggressively pursue this strategic initiative at a time global polysilicon supply remains tight."

About Yingli Green Energy

Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited is one of the leading vertically integrated photovoltaic (PV) product manufacturers in China. Through the Company's principal operating subsidiary in China, Baoding Tianwei Yingli New Energy Resources Co., Ltd., Yingli Green Energy designs, manufactures and sells PV modules and designs, assembles, sells and installs PV systems that are connected to an electricity transmission grid or those that operate on a stand-alone basis. With 200 MW of total annual production capacity in each of polysilicon ingots and wafers, PV cells and PV modules, Yingli Green Energy is currently one of the largest manufacturers of PV products in China. Additionally, Yingli Green Energy is one of the limited numbers of large-scale PV companies in China to have adopted vertical integration as its business model. Yingli Green Energy currently plans to gradually expand annual production capacity of polysilicon ingots and wafers, PV cells and PV modules to 400 MW by the end of 2008 and to 600 MW by the end of 2009. Yingli Green Energy sells PV modules under its own brand name, Yingli Solar, to PV system integrators and distributors located in various markets around the world, including Germany, Spain, Italy, China and the United States.

Hoku and Solarfun Sign $306 Million Polysilicon Supply Contract

Hoku Announces Plans for Phase II Polysilicon Plant

November 26, 2007: 08:30 AM EST

Hoku Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOKU), a diversified provider of clean energy products and technologies including polysilicon for the solar industry, and Solarfun Power Hong Kong Limited, a subsidiary of Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: SOLF), an established manufacturer of both photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules in China, today announced the signing of a definitive contract for Hoku's sale and delivery of polysilicon to Solarfun over an eight-year period beginning in mid-2009.

Under the contract, up to approximately $306 million may be payable to Hoku during the eight-year period, subject to product deliveries and other conditions. The contract provides for the delivery of predetermined volumes of polysilicon each year, with the first shipment in the second half of 2009 and continuing over an eight-year period from the first shipment, at set prices that will decline throughout the term of the agreement. The contract also provides for an initial deposit of $10 million to Hoku on or before December 28, 2007, and requires that Solarfun make additional prepayments for products in the aggregate amount of $45, which are to be paid to Hoku in three installments: the first payment is due on September 30, 2008, and the final payment is due on March 31, 2010. The $45 million prepayment amount is to be placed in an escrow account by Solarfun, or secured by a letter of credit from Solarfun's bank, on or before January 10, 2008. Under the agreement, Hoku will grant to Solarfun a security interest in its polysilicon assets to secure Hoku's obligation to repay $55 million to Solarfun as a credit against product shipments over time.

"We are pleased to have established this relationship with Solarfun, a rising star in the solar industry," said Dustin Shindo, Chief Executive Officer of Hoku Scientific. "Their long-term strategic direction and their aggressive expansion plans make them an ideal partner for Hoku."
"Hoku has built a solid reputation as a leader among the new entrants in the polysilicon field and we are extremely confident in their ability to meet our long term polysilicon requirements," said Solarfun's Chairman Lu Yonghua. "This contract will help us realize our anticipated manufacturing cost advantages through our previously disclosed vertical integration and capacity expansion plans."

Hoku is in the process of building a polysilicon plant in Pocatello, Idaho that is being designed for annual production up to approximately 2,500 metric tons of polysilicon. Hoku is currently planning a Phase II expansion of the polysilicon plant to expand capacity beyond 2,500 metric tons. Hoku's customers, including SANYO Electric Co., Ltd., Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., Global Expertise Wafer Division Ltd. -- a subsidiary of Solar-Fabrik AG -- and Solarfun, have collectively agreed to purchase approximately $1.5 billion in polysilicon over a seven to ten year period.

"Signing this contract with Solarfun is the first order we have accepted for Phase II of our polysilicon business, which will include additional production capacity in excess of the 2,500 metric tons of annual capacity that is included in our Phase I development," concluded Dustin Shindo. "The ultimate capacity of our Phase II expansion, in excess of the volumes we have committed to Solarfun, will be determined based on the total contracts we sign with other customers over the next several months."

About Hoku Scientific, Inc.

Hoku Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOKU) is a diversified clean energy technologies company with three business units: Hoku Materials, Hoku Solar and Hoku Fuel Cells. Hoku Materials plans to manufacture, market, and sell polysilicon for the solar market from its plant currently under construction in Pocatello, Idaho. Hoku Solar is a provider of turnkey photovoltaic systems in Hawaii. Hoku Fuel Cells has developed proprietary fuel cell membranes and membrane electrode assemblies for stationary and automotive proton exchange membrane fuel cells. For more information visit www.hokuscientific.com.

About Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd.

Solarfun Power Holdings Co, Ltd. (NASDAQ: SOLF) manufactures both PV cells and PV modules, provides PV cell processing services to convert silicon wafers into PV cells, and supplies solar system integration services in China. Solarfun produces both monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon cells and modules, and manufactures 100% of its modules with in-house produced PV cells. Solarfun sells its products both through third-party distributors, OEM manufacturers and directly to system integrators. Solarfun was founded in 2004 and its products have been certified to TUV and UL safety and quality standards. For more information visit www.solarfun.com.cn.

Canadian Solar signs $60M annual solar cell supply contract with Gintech Energy

November 26, 2007: 09:55 AM EST

NEW YORK, Nov. 26, 2007 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- Canadian Solar (NASDAQ:CSIQ) Inc. Monday signed an annual solar cell supply contract for about $60 million with long-term supplier Gintech Energy Corp.Under the contract, Canadian Solar expects to receive total shipments between 17 megawatts and 22 megawatts, starting in January 2008.Canadian Solar has been using Taiwan-based solar cell manufacturer Gintech Energy since 2004.Shares of Canadian Solar, a Changshu Suzhou, China-based solar modular products company, were up 6.1% to $16.42.

Solar Power and Motech Solar to Arrange for 11 Megawatts of Cells in 2008

From http://www.tradingmarkets.com

Nov 26, 2007 (NORDIC BUSINESS REPORT via COMTEX) -- Solar Power, Inc. (SPI) has made arrangements with Motech, one of the world's top 10 producers of solar cells, for Motech to reserve 11 megawatts of 6" multi-crystalline photovoltaic (PV) cells.

The cells will be used for the production of SPI's solar modules at the company's factory in Shenzhen, China. In addition to the 11 megawatts for 2008, SPI and Motech are in discussions to develop a long-term cell supply agreement to meet the growing demand for SPI's PV modules.

"Our arrangement with Motech is significant, as they are the recognized world leader in the production of the highest quality mono and multi-crystalline PV cells," said Steve Kircher, CEO Solar Power, Inc. "Our companies share a common philosophy with respect to our mutual commitment to high-quality and product innovation. For these reasons we are also pursuing a long-term supply agreement."

To date, Motech has been a primary supplier of cells for SPI. The new arrangement provides SPI with an additional supply of high-quality cells to meet anticipated production requirements of the company's 200 watt panels during 2008. "We are happy to be providing Solar Power, Inc. with cells for their high-quality PV modules," said Dr. Simon Tsuo, CEO of Motech Solar. "For us this is further indication of the growing US market and demand for photovoltaic products as the adoption of solar energy in all market segments gains momentum across the United States."

Motech announces solar cell investment in China

Nov 26, 2007

Motech Industries posted a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) announcing its investment in solar cell production in China. In the November 23 filing, Motech announced an investment of US$3.7 million for solar cell production in Suzhou, China. Company spokesperson Chia-chi Chen was cited by a Chinese-language Commercial Times report as saying that

China-made solar cells are not necessarily just targeting the domestic market and the company will maintain its focus in Europe and the US. source: DigiTimes

Sunday, November 25, 2007

China considers national strategy to boost rural energy development

www.chinaview.cn 2007-11-23 19:14:25

by Xinhua writer Wu Qiong

BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government is drafting a new rural energy strategy to boost energy development in the vast rural regions where some 10 million people in remote areas are still suffering from energy poverty, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in China.

It was revealed at the International Conference of Rural Energy Development held in Beijing on Friday, which was jointly organized by UNDP and China's Office of the National Energy Leading Group.

The UNDP said it was assisting the Chinese Office to draft the strategy, which could be released early 2008.

"We are actively carrying out researches on the draft national strategy of rural energy development," Ma Xiaohe, a top researcher with the academy of macro-economic research under NDRC, said at the conference.

Wu Guihui, deputy director of the Energy Bureau of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said the country certainly needs such a national strategy and they are planning more research to sort out clues on the rural energy development scheme.

The UNDP in China said in a press release that the national strategy would "establish a vision for future rural energy development and increase access of the poor to sustainable energy".

No specifics about the strategy were available from any of the sources.

China's rural residents rely on coal and low-efficiency traditional biomass, such as directly burning straws and firewood, for a large share of their energy consumption.

Most of China's rural regions are not equipped with pipelines for the supply of commercial energies like natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas, which led to a small proportion of clean energy use in rural areas, according to Wu.

The current use of electricity in rural areas is also lagging far behind urban use due to the lack of infrastructure facilities. Statistics shows that China's rural population consumed less than 100 kilowatt-hours of electricity per capita in 2006, only a fourth of urban consumption.

China will further boost the development of new and renewable energies including biogas and solar energy to reduce rural reliance on traditional biomass for energy consumption, said Wu.

He said China will also extend power grids in more rural areas to enlarge electricity coverage for rural residents, and promote renewable energy technologies such as micro hydropower, wind power and solar energy at places where extension of the power grid is not economical.

Ma also called for actions to increase supply of cleaner and more qualified energies such as natural gas to meet the energy demand in rural areas.

He added that rural residents should be allowed equal access to these energies at the same prices as urbanites, or even at subsidized prices to persuade them from cutting wood and exploiting grassland for energy consumption, which was not sustainable for the whole economy.

He stressed that the government should take the major responsibility in investing in rural energy development, especially in public infrastructure construction.

Experts and officials attending the conference also agreed that power supply services such as oil and gas stations and maintenance services for facilities of new and renewable energies needed to be upgraded in rural areas.

Otherwise, they said, rural residents would be discouraged from using cleaner energies due to lack of access or lack of expertise.

They were also encouraging data about the improvement in rural energy use disclosed by experts at the conference when they tried to fix problems there.

The Chinese government has arranged a total investment up to nearly 2.6 billion yuan in rural energy development via the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) between 2001 and 2006, said Kou Jianping, director of the energy and ecology division of the MOA.

China had built 21.75 million household biogas facilities by the end of 2006, amid efforts to promote clean energy use and improve energy efficiency in the countryside, according to Kou.

These household facilities could produce 8.5 billion cubic meters of biogas annually, equivalent to saving about 13.3 million tons of standard coal or preserving 4.5 million hectares of woodland.

Kou said the country is actively promoting straw as solid and gas energy as well as power generation with straw to make better use of existing energy resources in rural areas.

There were nearly 200,000 people working for the rural energy system in China by the end of 2005, with 170,000 being licensed farmer-technicians maintaining facilities, according to Kou.

China to lower solar panel prices to gain share

Gina Roos (11/23/2007)

Hong Kong — A new report from Global Sources says nearly 90 percent of solar panel manufacturers in Greater China plan to lower or keep prices stable, despite higher polysilicon prices, to win market share.

The "China Sourcing Report: Solar Panels" shows 88 percent of suppliers plan to decrease or keep prices stable, while only 12 percent plan to increase prices, although the polysilicon shortage is expected to continue until 2009.

The study also shows that most manufacturers are implementing measures to streamline production, which includes expanding to gain economies of scale, backward integration and R&D to produce thinner solar cells that require less polysilicon. Survey respondents also noted that they are planning to lower production costs by reducing waste, increasing automation and upgrading management systems. Others plan to focus on vertical integration and decreasing defects to improve manufacturing efficiency.

"Manufacturers are generally optimistic, with 97 percent expecting exports to increase over the next 12 months. However, with excess capacity in the high double-digits, a larger number of suppliers are reducing prices to gain orders," according to Spenser Au, report publisher, in a statement.

The biggest concerns cited by suppliers for the next 12 months include price competition and raw material costs. Other concerns include stricter overseas standards, design copying and labor shortages.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Trina Solar 3Q Profit Rises

Trina Solar 3rd-Quarter Profit Up on Shipments to Europe, Margins Fall on Costs and Pricing
November 21, 2007: 08:58 AM EST

NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Trina Solar Ltd. said Wednesday its profit skyrocketed in the third quarter on higher shipments due to strong demand in Europe.

Net income rose 86.8 percent to $7.2 million, or 28 cents per American Depositary Share (ADS), from $3.9 million a year earlier. The company did not have outstanding ADS in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose sharply to $82.6 million from $32.4 million.

Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected better earnings of 34 cents per ADS on revenue of $80.8 million, on average.

The solar-products company's shares dropped $6.98, or 14.3 percent, to $41.90 in premarket trading. They closed at $48.88 on Tuesday.

Trina Solar shipped solar modules with 21.2 megawatts of annual generating capacity, more than double the 8 megawatts worth of products it shipped out a year earlier. Sales in Germany, Spain and Italy accounted for 96 percent of revenue.

But because of lower average selling prices and high costs for polysilicon, a key component in solar products, gross profit margins fell to 20.1 percent from 26.2 percent.

Total operating expenses more than doubled to $9.7 million.

Deep Research Report on China Solar Cell Industry 2007

(live-PR.com) - According to 2007 deep research report on China solar cell industry data. 2006 China Solar Cell Shipment was 400.9 MW, Increased 237.74% than 118.7MW in 2005, and hopefully reach 1021.5 MW in 2007,increase 154.8% than 2006.

About the revenue: 2006 China Solar Cell revenue was 1251.4 Million USD, Increased 264.5% than 343.3 Million USD in 2005,and hopefully reach 3188.6 Million USD in 2007,increase 154.8% than 2006.

About selling price: 2006 China solar cell selling price is 3.12USD/W increase 8% than 2.89USD/W in 2005; while 2007 keep the same as 2006. the price will slowly dropping since 2008.

About utilization: the total solar cell utilization of China is 27.36 in 2005, 34.24% in 2006, about 41.61% in 2007, 76.99 in 2012; the low utilization during 2005 and 2006 mainly because the following two reasons: first, the expansion of solar cell manufacture capacity is too fast; second, the shortage of solar cell raw material (wafer or polysilicon) is serious.

About the net income margin: compare almost all the company owned good income in 2006; 2007H1 situation is not good, some companies lost, some company got low net income Margin, these situation mainly because slow increasing demand of downstream and serious Competitive of solar cell industry in China.

About the solar cell equipment: more and more China local equipment manufacturers owned solar Cell orders from cell companies, but key equipment such as diffuse PECVD 6. Firing Screen-Printing etc mainly from oversea equipment suppliers. Import equipment value is almost twice as local equipment purchase value. But as the local equipment grow better in the coming days, more and more clients will select local equipment as their low price and easy do after sale service.

About raw material: shortage of wafer and polysilicon is the important reason cute the low Utilization, what is more this also cute the whole net income margin go down, anyone who own good raw material supplement (such as Hebei JA Solar) can make excellent net income while others will face serious pressure if raw material supply is bad.

About downstream demand: more than 50% companies are produce cell and module, almost all their cell will use for their own module, not sales to others directly. Some cell only manufacturers are also sell their products to local clients directly, there are only 3% of China solar cell sell to the oversea clients directly in 2006 and 2007. though module capacity is bigger than cell capacity, but some module product line mainly OEM for some Japanese solar cell companies(such as Sharp solar and Kyocera solar), except these OEM Manufacturers, solar cell and solar module keep a good relationship and develop with the same step. So cell demand from module keep a good balance.

In a word, solar cell capacity shipment revenue all keep a high speed increase, their average increase rate more than 40%, higher than that of global market, though their selling price and net income margin are going down, but to the large scale manufacturer or good raw material supplement companies, their orders are good. as market demand increase going down, some companies go into lost and low net income margin, some of them maybe bought or combination. But the key situation of solar cell industry is capacity expansion and looking for low cost material. Solar energy as a renewable energy and lots of downstream product applications (such as solar lamps) it will keep good demand no matter today or in the future, what is more, solar energy business will enter a very good future as it is one of the best renewable energy instead of traditional energy.

Deep research report on China solar cell industry 2007 is a report mainly introduce China solar cell industry chain, the report included solar cell upstream industry contents as : wafer or polysilicon raw material sources, Furance (diffuse PECVD Firing screen-printing), sources and quantity. Solar cell industry contents as : Solar cell supply shipments sales demand price revenue net income capacity and capacity expanding information, equipment information of manufacturers etc ; downstream clients contents as: market demand of solar cell, downstream clients by manufacturer, regional revenue and market share etc. Through the detail survey and research of the whole solar cell industry chain, the report can show a deep and excellent introduction about China solar cell industry and will fit for investor marketing and strategy planning of the company.

China Solar Grade Wafer Or Ingot Industry Research Report 2007

(PRLog.Org) – Nov 20, 2007 – According 2007 China solar grade wafer or ingot industry research report data, 2006 China Solar Silicon Wafer Shipment was 399.4 MW,Increased 177.6% than 143.9MW in 2005, and hopefully reach 927.6 MW in 2007, increase 132.2% than 2006.

Though It was a rapid growth of Solar Wafer Shipment. It was less than its downstream solar cell Increasing. Thus cute the continue shortage of Solar wafer, what is more, due to the increasing price of Polysilicon and shortage of wafer, wafer selling price increase to 2.25 USD/W in 2006 from 2.15USD/W in 2005. and 2.38 USD/W in 2007H1,we estimate the trend will continue in 2007H2 and the ASP of 2007 will reach 2.40USD/W.

About the supply and demand, the shortage of wafer is 16MW in 2005, 140 MW in 2006, and will expand to 180MW in 2007,according 《2007 China solar grade wafer or ingot industry research report forecast》, 2008 and the coming years will continue short of wafer. However, Solar cell module price will continue decrease in the coming years, so that will bring some price Decrease (not large) of wafer.

As the continue shortage of wafer and great increase of downstream demand, more and more investor enter wafer industry and the wafer manufacture also expand their capacity rapidly. Though capacity expanding is easy, wafer shipment increase is not easy as the continue shortage of polysilicon.

2006 solar multi crystal silicon wafer shipment was 110MW,while single crystal silicon wafer shipment was more than 280MW, single crystal silicon wafer is a lot more than multi crystal silicon wafer shipment, it is great different than then the international situation as multi crystal silicon wafer shipment almost twice of single crystal silicon wafer shipment. China local single crystal silicon wafer was 2.7 times of multi crystal silicon wafer shipment. The most important reason of this situation is single crystal silicon wafer is easy manufacture than multi crystal silicon wafer as the key equipment pulling machine is easy bought in China with a low cost while multi crystal DSS furnace only can buy from oversea market with a high cost, but this situation will change in 2012, according 2007 China solar grade wafer or ingot industry research report forecast,2012 China local multi crystal silicon wafer shipment will be 1.5 times of single crystal silicon wafer shipment, the change mainly due to some very large multi crystal wafer projects and downstream clients demand as multi crystal silicon wafer is cheap and good enough.

2006 China wafer revenue was 899 million USD, increased 191% from 309 million USD in 2005. while 2007 revenue will increase 148% reach 2226 million than 2006, and it will keep a high increasing rate in the coming years. About utilization, Due to the polysilicon shortage, total utilization of China wafer less than 50% though the downstream demand is large. The Utilization will increase step by step in the coming years and will reach 60% or so according the forecast from 2007 China solar grade wafer or ingot industry research report.

China as the biggest solar cell manufacture base, Most of wafer were sold to the local clients, but also has about 20% sells to the oversea market, Taiwan is the biggest sells region in the oversea market, Europe Union,USA,Kore,Japan also have some demand. about Rae materials, as polysilicon shortage and most polysilicon manufacturer order are full till the end of 2008, so, almost all the raw materials were from renewable material or high price spot market polysilicon. Some large and famous manufacturers (such as Jinglong LDK Yingli Solar Trina Solar etc) signed some long term polysilicon supply contracts, but most of the contract can not supply polysilicon before 2009. so revewable material and high price spot market polisilicon will be the major raw material in China local wafer industry. By the way, almost all Wafer manufacturers net income rate is higher than cell suppliers, some companies’net income rate is more than 30%; this bring a lot of new enter as most equipment vendors can offer one stop sales of wafer factory solution. Investors who have capital, downstream clients, and also have relationship with some upstream raw material vendors will enter this industry, in fact, almost all large and big wafer project were occurred during 2005-Aug,2007. and will also some new enter in the coming years. thus the competition of China wafer industry will be serious. Research Team suggest that new enter who owned raw material will own great advantage in the competition.

2007 China solar grade wafer or ingot industry research report is a report mainly introduce China solar wafer industry chain, the report included wafer upstream industry contents as : polysilicon raw material sources. Furance (ingot pulling machine DSS furnace),wire saw equipments (squarers wire saws) sources and quantity. Ingot wafer industry contents as : ingot wafer supply shipments sales demand price revenue net income capacity and capacity expanding information, equipment information of manufacturers etc : downstream clients contents as: market demand of wafer, downstream clients by manufacturer, regional revenue and market share etc. Through the detail survey and research of the whole wafer industry chain, the report can show a deep and excellent introduction about China wafer industry and will fit for investor marketing and strategy planning of the company.

Canadian Solar Announces Agreement with China Sunergy

November 19, 2007: 08:50 AM EST

JIANGSU, China, Nov. 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Canadian Solar Inc. ("the Company'', or ''CSI'') today announced that it had entered into various purchase agreements (the ''Agreements'') last week with China Sunergy Co., Ltd. (''China Sunergy'').

The Agreements with China Sunergy are for a total volume of 25MW of solar cells for 2008. Under the Agreements, China Sunergy will supply approximately 12MW and 13MW of solar cells to Canadian Solar in the first and second half of the year respectively. The Agreements will be denominated in both Chinese Yuan and US dollars, with approximately 24% of the volume being based on fixed pricing terms and the remainder being determined on a quarterly basis.
Commenting on the Agreements, Dr. Shawn Qu, CEO of Canadian Solar, said: "We are pleased to have added China Sunergy to our list of partners, thus continuing to demonstrate the ability of CSI to establish win-win relationships with companies in the solar value chain. This announcement provides further visibility to the supply contracts we already had in place in support of our 2008 business plan. We look forward to working closely with China Sunergy as a part of our long-term supply chain strategy, which includes continued direct purchasing from a selected number of long-term strategic cell suppliers in addition to our internal solar cell production."

Commenting further, Allen Wang, CEO of China Sunergy, added: "Following on from this and the recent agreement with aleo solar of Germany, I am very pleased with our ability to expand sales both domestically and abroad. This latest agreement signifies a substantial development in our relationship with Canadian Solar, one of the leading China-based module manufacturing companies, and is a positive example of how we are developing our high quality global customer base while further enhancing our brand recognition within the industry."

About Canadian Solar Inc.

Founded in 2001, Canadian Solar Inc. (CSI) is a vertically integrated manufacturer of solar cell, solar module and customer-designed solar application products serving worldwide customers. CSI is incorporated in Canada and conducts all of its manufacturing operations in China. Backed by years of experience and knowledge in the solar power market and the silicon industry, CSI has become a major global provider of solar power products for a wide range of applications. For more information, please visit http://www.csisolar.com .

China Sunergy Announces Commencement of Commercial Production of Selective Emitter Cells

Average Efficiency Rates of 17.5% Achieved From Mass Production Cells

November 19, 2007: 07:44 AM EST

NANJING, China, Nov. 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- China Sunergy Co., Ltd. ("China Sunergy") , a specialized solar cell manufacturer based in Nanjing, China, announced today that it has started mass production of its selective emitter cells after successfully commissioning recently arrived production equipment.

Commercially produced selective emitter cells yielded an average efficiency rate of 17.5% during the first few days of mass production.

Prior to starting mass production, China Sunergy achieved 18.2% conversion efficiency on some of its pilot runs in early November.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Jianhua Zhao, CTO of China Sunergy, said: "I am delighted that we have managed to develop and commercialize these high-efficiency cells in less than a year, and am confident that as we refocus our R&D resources we will be able to achieve similar success with other high- efficiency cell products. As we continue to optimize our selective emitter cell equipment and technology, I also believe that we should be able to achieve average efficiency rates of 18% on future commercial batches of these cells."

Commenting further, Dr. Allen Wang, CEO of China Sunergy said: "I have always believed in the technological advantage China Sunergy holds and this is strong evidence that our R&D efforts are starting to pay off. We will continue to drive further efficiency from these cells going into 2008 and will be adding an additional four production lines during the second-half of the year, as we look at ways to expand our margins going forward."

About China Sunergy Co., Ltd.

China Sunergy Co., Ltd. ("China Sunergy") is a leading manufacturer of solar cell products in China as measured by production capacity. China Sunergy manufactures solar cells from silicon wafers utilizing crystalline silicon solar cell technology to convert sunlight directly into electricity through a process known as the photovoltaic effect. China Sunergy sells solar cell products to Chinese and overseas module manufacturers and system integrators, who assemble solar cells into solar modules and solar power systems for use in various markets. For more information please visit http://www.chinasunergy.com .

Monday, November 19, 2007

Canadian Solar to Deliver 60MW Solar modules for Projects in Spain

November 16, 2007: 07:48 AM EST

JIANGSU, China, Nov. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Canadian Solar Inc. ("the Company'', or ''CSI'') announced that it has signed a new contract with German City Solar Group to deliver 60MW of solar modules for a series of solar power station projects in Spain. Shipment will start immediately. Installations are expected to be completed by the Summer of 2008.

CSI has recently completed the delivery of 11.7 MW solar modules to City Solar for three large-scale solar power projects in Germany. The new 60 MW contract will expand the collaborations between the two companies from Germany to Spain, one of the fastest growing and strategically most important solar markets in the world.

CSI expects to introduce its PC200 new module type with City Solar. This new module product is capable of delivering 200-240W of output per unit and is specially designed to promote the maximum performance of City Solar's state- of-arts solar tracker systems.

Dr. Shawn Qu, CEO of CSI, commented, ''The expansion of our collaboration with City Solar is the latest example of the repeat orders we are winning from key customers in an important market segment. The combination of CSI's high- performance modules in City Solar system designs and project management has quickly gained market recognition for our two companies as one of the top- notch one-stop shopping solutions for high performance solar power plants.''
Mr. Steffen Kammler, CEO of City Solar, AG, commented, ''City Solar is one of the leading solar plant project management companies in Europe. City Solar's vast experience in large-scale solar plant project development, planning, implementation and financing arrangement has brought turn-key solutions to commercial renewable energy investors. We have developed unique solar tracking technologies to maximize solar module performance. We have so far implemented several solar farm projects in Germany using CSI modules and we are much impressed by CSI's superior module quality, after service technical support and its highly efficient and effective management team. We will continue to work closely with Canadian Solar for our future projects.''

About Canadian Solar Inc.

Founded in 2001, Canadian Solar Inc. (CSI) is a vertically integrated manufacturer of solar cell, solar module and customer-designed solar application products serving worldwide customers. CSI is incorporated in Canada and conducts all of its manufacturing operations in China. Backed by years of experience and knowledge in the solar power market and the silicon industry, CSI has become a major global provider of solar power products for a wide range of applications. For more information, please visit http://www.csisolar.com .

About City Solar, AG

City Solar AG is a leading player in the field of industrial scale photovoltaic power plants. The company was founded in 2003 and has its headquarters in Bad Kreuznach, Germany. City Solar隆盲s core business is the design, construction, and operation of solar power plants. In addition to activities in Germany, City Solar is becoming increasingly involved in Europe - particularly in Spain, Italy and Greece. In Beneixama, Spain, the company built the world's largest PV power plant with a nominal power of 20 MW completed in September 2007. Moreover in October City Solar received the ''German Solar Award 2007''. The company directs a great part of its efforts to its own R+D activities. This department has developed and patented a new process to produce solar grade silicon. For more information, please visit http://www.citysolar.de .

Report: China nears renewable goals

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 China is on its way to meeting its renewable energy goals, according to the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute.

The country is on track to acquire 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, while the United States is not as far in its transition away from fossil fuels, according to a report released in Washington this week.

Countries worldwide invested more than $50 billion collectively into renewable energy conversion last year, and in 2007 China alone is expected to account for some $10 billion of investment, according to the report, "Powering China's Development: The Role of Renewable Energy."

"The future of the global climate may rest in large measure on China's ability to lead the world into the age of renewable energy, much as the United States led the world into the age of oil roughly a century ago," said Worldwatch President Christopher Flavin.

While the Chinese government advances closer towards its renewable energy goals, the U.S. Congress has just recently begun discussing energy legislation.

The terms in question would mandate a 35-mile-per-gallon fuel efficiency standard for the U.S. fleet of cars and light trucks; expand renewable energy tax incentives; and mandate that a 15-percent share of the nation's energy come from renewable sources by 2020, China Daily reported.Copyright 2007 by UPI

China's XinAo Group to Manufacture 500MW of Solar Cells Each Year

XinAo Group, a leading energy company of China, announced its entry to the photovoltaic business Nov 14, 2007. Constructing a plant for thin-film solar cell module production in China, the company said it is aiming to produce 500MW worth of products each year.

XinAo Group plans to introduce the "Applied SunFab" solar cell module production lines manufactured by Applied Materials Inc (AMAT) of the US. This production line uses 5.7m2 (8.5-generation) glass substrates. One line is capable of manufacturing 50MW-equivalent tandem solar cell modules per year, according to the company.

XinAo Group is engaged in the refinement of coal, oil and natural gas, among other businesses. It holds 20,000 employees and more than 100 group companies.

SYP to supply polysilicon to Trina through 2013

Filed from Houston 11/14/2007 4:51:55 AM GMT

CHINA: Trina Solar Ltd. signed a six-year polysilicon supply agreement with Sichuan Yongxiang Polysilicon Co. Ltd. (SYP). Under the agreement, SYP will supply Trina with virgin polysilicon sufficient to produce approximately 1,300 MW of modules. Deliveries under the agreement will begin in mid-2008 and continue through 2013.

With this contract and the company's existing supply agreements, Trina has now secured approximately 70 percent of the polysilicon required for its planned production in 2008. SYP is in the advanced stages of building an 11,000-ton (10,000-tonne) polysilicon production facility with an initial phase of 1,100 tons (1,000 tonnes) launching next year.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

China's Suntech to build factories in the U.S.

November 2, 2007 10:27 AM PDT
Posted by Michael Kanellos

Update: Suntech Power Holdings, an aggressive, rising star in the solar world, said in a conference call yesterday that it hopes to build plants in the U.S. to help it break into the market here.

"We are currently in discussion with the governors of three different states who have been recruiting us to build factories," said Roger Efird, president of Suntech America, the company's U.S. subsidiary, according to a report on Greentech Media. Efird was speaking on a conference call for the Solar Energy Industries Association. More details will likely emerge on November 15 when Suntech reports earnings.

The factories could employ up to 1,000 people in the states in the next few years, Efird reportedly said.

Update: In a phone interview with News.com, chief strategy officer Steve Chan said that they company is in the decision making stage. "The question is how to get to the point where the costs make sense," he said. Suntech might not move to the stage where construction begins for one to two years. Although U.S. companies have been sending manufacturing jobs to countries with cheap labor like China for decades, clean tech is bringing some of these kind of jobs back to the states. Why? It's not the decline of the dollar, people. Things like solar panel and green roofing material weigh a lot, which means high shipping costs. And, unlike semiconductors, which would sell for thousands of dollars a pound if sold by weight, solar panels are ultimately commodities.

Earlier this week, green drywall maker Serious Materials raised $50 million to build factories in the U.S.

U.S. factories will also let Suntech compete in what many believe will be the largest solar market in the future. The company right now sells most of its products to Europe. Five years ago, Suntech was an asterisk. Now, it is the third largest producer of solar cells in the world and one of the fastest growing. It benefits from cheap Chinese labor, but also depth in research and development (the science behind its panels came out of the University of New South Wales), strong ties to equipment makers, and volume discounts on silicon. Executives in China make less too: there probably aren't 10 people in the company who make more than $200,000, said Chan earlier this year.

European and Japanese manufacturers have trouble competing on price, and Chinese manufacturers have trouble keeping up with their quality.

U.S. factories, though, will challenge the company's low cost position, as Chan noted. Suntech, though is testing out different strategies to get around this. One idea: Suntech is developing its own manufacturing equipment that could reduce costs.

Originally posted at Green Tech blog.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Yingli Green Energy Signs 16.5 MW Agreement with ATERSA

BAODING, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (NYSE: YGE), one of the leading vertically integrated photovoltaic (PV) product manufacturers in China, today announced that it has signed an agreement to sell 16.5 MW of photovoltaic ("PV") modules to Aplicaciones Técnicas de la Energía, S.L. ("ATERSA"). ATERSA and its parent company, the Elecnor S.A. ("Elecnor"), are leaders in producing and distributing PV modules and PV equipment as well as PV "Turn-Key Projects" in Spain.

The PV modules provided by Yingli in this agreement will be installed in the Argasol Project and the Alumbra Project, which are located in Ciudad Real and Badajoz, Spain, respectively. The quality and power output of the modules supplied to ATERSA will be tested by ATERSA's laboratories. This new agreement makes Yingli Green Energy one of ATERSA and Elecnor's major module suppliers in terms of module shipments.

"The new agreement with ATERSA marks another milestone in our development in the market of Spain, which is currently one of the fastest growing PV markets in the world," said Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy. "This new agreement strengthens our competitive position in Spain and helps us further solidify our market position in the European market."

About Yingli Green Energy

Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited ("Yingli Green Energy") is one of the leading vertically integrated PV product manufacturers in China. Through the Company's principal operating subsidiary in China, Baoding Tianwei Yingli New Energy Resources Co., Ltd., Yingli Green Energy designs, manufactures and sells PV modules and designs, assembles, sells and installs PV systems that are connected to an electricity transmission grid or those that operate on a stand-alone basis. With 200 MW of total annual production capacity in each of polysilicon ingots and wafers, PV cells and PV modules, Yingli Green Energy is currently one of the largest manufacturers of PV products in China. Additionally, Yingli Green Energy is one of the limited number of large-scale PV companies in China to have adopted vertical integration as its business model. Yingli Green Energy currently plans to gradually expand annual production capacity of polysilicon ingots and wafers, PV cells and PV modules to 400 MW by the end of 2008 and to 600 megawatts by 2010. Yingli Green Energy sells PV modules under its own brand name, Yingli Solar, to PV system integrators and distributors located in various markets around the world, including Germany, Spain, Italy, China and the United States.

About ATERSA

With nearly 30 years experience, ATERSA, a subsidiary of the ELECNOR, is a pioneering company within the photovoltaic solar power sector in Spain. ATERSA develops, manufactures and markets all the components and equipment needed for any electrical solar system. Its production center is located in Almussafes, Valencia, with sales offices in Madrid, Valencia and Cordoba.

About ELECNOR

With a fifty year history, ELECNOR continues to be one of the central players in major infrastructure projects that are undertaken in Spain, participating in most of the major infrastructures projects that are undertaken in Spain, reinforcing its traditional high profile abroad and consolidating its permanent diversification towards other business areas.

Suntech Announces First Phase Polysilicon Supply Agreement with Nitol Solar

November 01, 2007: 08:00 AM EST

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 1 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. , one of the world's leading manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, today announced a first phase agreement with Nitol Solar Ltd. to supply polysilicon to Suntech over a seven-year period beginning in 2009.

The agreement provides for the delivery of predetermined volumes of polysilicon each year at fixed prices for the initial term with a portion of supply in later years subject to reduction within a price band in the event that prevailing spot market prices at that time are reduced. The agreement also provides for an initial deposit to Nitol Solar upon signing and requires that Suntech make additional prepayments for products subject to Nitol Solar's successful achievement of certain facility development and production volume milestones and other conditions.

"We are very pleased to sign this agreement with Nitol Solar and expect that it will be the first phase of an expanding partnership with additional allocation as their production capacity grows. This structure fits well with our own plans to expand Suntech's production capacity on an annual basis," said Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech's Chairman and CEO. "Nitol Solar is one of the most advanced new entrants in the polysilicon field given its long standing chemical production expertise including large commercial scale production of key gases required for polysilicon production such as trichlorosilane and chlorine. We look forward to this long term relationship with Nitol Solar and expect them to become one of our key long term supply partners."
Dr. Shi continued, "This agreement also adds to our growing pipeline of silicon at prices well below today's spot market and will help us to advance towards our goal of driving the cost of solar to grid parity."

Nitol Solar operates a chemical factory in Irkutsk Region, Russia and has over 70 years experience in the chemical industry. Nitol Solar is in the process of building a plant with target production capacity of 3700 metric tons of polysilicon in 2009. Nitol Solar already produces commercial quantities of trichlorosilane gas, which is a key material used in the production of polysilicon.

Dmitry Kotenko, Chief Executive Officer of Nitol Solar said: "We are delighted to announce this agreement with Suntech, a leading global PV manufacturer. This agreement represents a significant portion of our production and firmly establishes Nitol Solar as a future supplier of high quality polysilicon in the global solar industry."

About Nitol

Nitol Solar is an international group manufacturing key chemical components for the global Solar Energy industry from an established chemical chlorine and silicon gas facility in Irkutsk Region, Russia. Nitol Solar's current and envisaged product groups encompass a number of steps in the photo- voltaic value chain from trichlorosilane gas through polycrystalline silicon to the finished mono and multicrystalline wafers utilized in solar cells.

Nitol Solar's aim is to become a global leader in the efficient production of polysilicon products for the fast-growing solar energy industry. Nitol's production facility, 'Usoliekhimprom', is located in Usolie-Sibirskoe, Irkutsk. It is compliant with international quality and safety standards and ranks among the most environmentally transparent facilities in Russia.
For more detailed information please visit Nitol Solar's website at http://www.nitolsolar.com .

About Suntech

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is a leading solar energy company in the world as measured by both production output and capacity of solar cells and modules. Suntech provides solar solutions for a green future. Suntech designs, develops, manufactures, and markets a variety of high quality, cost effective and environmentally friendly PV cells and modules for electric power applications in the residential, commercial, industrial, and public utility sectors. Suntech's majority-owned subsidiary, MSK Corporation is one of the top-ranked companies in the building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) space. Suntech's customers are located in various markets worldwide, including key markets throughout Europe, North America, Japan and China. For more information, please visit http://www.suntech-power.com .

Trina Solar Casts Jumbo Multicrystalline Ingot

October 31, 2007: 11:27 AM EST

CHANGZHOU, China, Oct. 31 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ Trina Solar Limited ("Trina Solar" or the "Company"), a leading integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic products from the production of ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of PV modules founded in 1997, announced today that Trina Solar became the first global solar PV module manufacturer to cast a multicrystalline ingot using GT Solar's advanced DSS 450 furnace. This was achieved in connection with the commercial launch of Trina Solar's new multicrystalline module line.
The "jumbo" ingot is the result of Trina Solar's contract with GT Solar Incorporated, which supplies Trina Solar with DSS 450 furnaces that grow multicrystalline ingots up to 450 kg. This is Trina Solar's third order from GT Solar, representing approximately 300 MW of ingot growing capacity.

Jifan Gao, Trina Solar's Chairman and CEO, said: "We are very proud to have achieved this important milestone, which represents a key step in our efforts to expand capacity while lowering production costs and reflects the successful cooperation between our two companies. We look forward to opportunities to work with GT Solar as we continue to expand our capacity and strengthen Trina Solar's position as one of the leading PV module suppliers in the world."
Tom Zarrella, GT Solar's CEO, said: "Trina Solar's order for our advanced DSS 450 furnace to support its aggressive expansion plan is a strong indication of GT Solar's continued expansion in the Asia market. We value this customer and appreciate its confidence in our product."

About Trina Solar

Trina Solar Limited , through its wholly-owned subsidiary Changzhou Trina Solar Energy Co. Ltd, is a well-recognized manufacturer of high quality modules and has a long history as a solar PV pioneer since it was founded in 1997 as a system installation company. Trina Solar is currently one of the few PV manufacturers that has developed a vertically integrated business model from the production of monocrystalline and multicrystalline ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of high quality modules. This integrated value chain helps to ensure that high quality products can be delivered to its end customers around the globe, including a number of European countries, such as Germany, Spain and Italy. Trina Solar's solar modules provide reliable and environmentally- friendly electric power for residential, commercial, industrial and other applications worldwide. Trina Solar successfully completed its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in December 2006 and its ADSs are traded under the ticker symbol TSL. For further information, please visit Trina Solar's website at http://www.trinasolar.com.

About GT Solar

GT Solar Incorporated, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GT Solar International, is one of the largest providers of manufacturing equipment and turnkey manufacturing solutions across the photovoltaic supply chain. Based in Merrimack, NH (USA), the company's products include equipment used to produce multi-crystalline solar wafers, cells and modules. GT Solar also manufactures polysilicon reactors, which allow its customers to produce polysilicon from which solar wafers are made. For more information, go to http://www.gtsolar.com.