Japan’s Sharp and Kyocera, and Germany’s Q-Cells, have been displaced by ascendant Chinese firms on the list of the world’s top PV cell makers.
US-based First Solar remained the world’s top cell manufacturer during the second quarter of 2010, followed by four ascendant Chinese firms: Suntech, JA Solar, Yingli and Trina.
Six of the top 12 cell companies were Chinese, accounting for 55% of global shipments, according to figures published by market researcher Solarbuzz.
The global PV industry raked in revenues of $17.2bn during the second quarter – up strongly from $12bn in the first quarter, and just $6.2bn during the same period last year.
In terms of modules, the global market added 3.82GW, just off the record-breaking 3.92GW put on during the last quarter of 2009.
But Solarbuzz, like many analysts, sees stormy clouds on the horizon, with a welter of feed-in tariff cuts either in the offing or having recently been implemented.
The first quarter of 2011 will be the most brutal. Solarbuzz predicts the market will be able to absorb less than half of the modules produced, leading inventories to balloon across the industry, as they did in 2009 before prices cratered.
“Historically the PV industry has often exuded overconfidence in the face of uncertain end markets,” notes Solarbuzz president Craig Stevens.
