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About to Explode

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About to Explode PHOTOVOLTAICS USA/MANUFACTURERS About to explode Projects in the non- Similar to other PV markets, the development in the United States is residential market segment, such as this characterized by excess capacities in manufacturing and a rapid price rooftop PV system in decline for component of solar power plants. Nevertheless, the US industry California, have been the driving force behind representatives are less pessimistic about the future than their colleagues the US solar market. Photo: Europressedienst in Europe. It shows that the markets are quite different from each other. ata by the Solar Energy Industries Association range of 31.14 % for companies found to benefit from (SEIA) suggests that the newly installed PV ca­ unfair subsidies and price dumping as well as Dpacity on the US market had reached 1,855 MW 249.96 % for companies that did not collaborate with in 2011, exceeding the previous record year 2010 the US customs service or failed to provide the infor­ (887 MW) by nearly 110 %. Generally, the solar indus­ mation needed. “The decision by the US Department try has therefore reason to be pleased with the devel­ of Commerce encourages us to believe that we can re­ opment in the last year. The newly installed capacities turn to fair competition,” explains Frank Asbeck, CEO had been equivalent to a market share of 7 % (2010: of SolarWorld. The path on the US market seems now 5 %) in the global new installa tions. The trend is ex­ open for a positive trend that could be comparable to pected to continue over the next few years – not least the last year. The duties could lead many US­based as a consequence of the weakening European mar­ module makers currently not fully utilizing their kets. Close to 15 % could be realistic by 2016. capacities to ramp up their production as sales For the second consecutive year, the solar indus­ opportunities open up on the market again. try had been the fastest growing industry sector in the United States in 2011. And chances are that 2012 Up to 50 % growth will be equally successful. An additional impulse could be a preliminary decision of the US Commerce “In the fourth quarter of 2011 alone, the newly in­ Department to impose antidumping duties on subsi­ stalled PV capacity reached 776 MW, after 473 MW dized Chinese solar power products – and these du­ had been installed in the previous quarter,” says ties are surprisingly high. According to the Germany­ Rhone Resch, President of SEIA. The US rooftop seg­ based company SolarWorld, which played a leading ment grew by 11 % up to 297 MW and the segment role in the action filed against the import of cheap so­ for commercial rooftops by 28 % up to 800 MW in the lar products in the United States, the duties are in the last year, he says. At the same time, the average 74 Sun & Wind Energy 7/2012 Maximise your results Connect to the net with SolarMax! Solar plants are just like football: only the result counts. And the inverter is the champion that can make the difference. SolarMax has been developing and marketing grid-connected solar inverters for more than 20 years. We provide top-class Swiss Quality: Our products stand out through optimum ef ciency, maximum yields and absolute reliability. In addition, our Service Center will support and advise you throughout the entire life span of your plant. Go for the champions. Get SolarMax on your team. www.solarmax.com PHOTOVOLTAICS USA/MANUFACTURERS Capacities of crystalline module manufacturers in the US uted most of the new installations in terms of abso­ lute numbers, the segment for utility­scale PV projects Company Location 2010 [MW] 2011 [MW] has been and continues to be the number one growth 1SolTech INC Farmers Branch, TX 15 65 driver in the United States,” says Rick Myatt of the Advanced Solar Photonics Lake Mary, FL 75 100 consulting firm MLM International. Utility­scale ALPS Technology Inc. Walnut, CA n/a n/a projects with a total capacity of 9,000 MW are cur­ Alternative Energies Kentucky Danville, KY 5 5 rently under construction or have at least obtained Auxin Solar San Jose, CA 25 25 the required permits and power purchase agree­ ments. These projects are expected to be completed Evergreen Solar, Inc. Devens, MA 160 70 insolvent and to go online by 2016. E-Village Inc. San Diego, CA n/a n/a Helios USA Milwaukee, WI n/a 40 Utility-scale PV ahead Kyocera Corporation San Diego, CA 30 n/a Mage Solar Dublin, GA 0 40 One of the companies that have benefited from the Motech Industries, Inc. Newark, DE 40 40 trend towards utility­scale PV projects is the Boston­ MX Solar USA Somerset, NJ 65 130 based inverter manufacturer Satcon Technology Pyron Solar III San Diego, CA 0 0.2 Corporation. The company sells its inverters primari­ ly on the US market and produces mainly products for Renogy Baton Rouge, LA n/a 500 large­scale systems. On 9 May, Satcon published its SBM Solar, Inc. Concord, NC 10 15 financial results for the first quarter of 2012 and re­ Schott Solar Albuquerque, NM 100 200 ported that its quarterly sales and order volume had Sharp Corporation Memphis, TN 160 160 reached US$ 24.3 million and US$ 45.6 million, re­ Silicon Energy Marysville, WA n/a 5 spectively. The turnover corresponds to the compa­ Solar Power Industries Belle Vernon, Mount 50 50 ny’s business plan previously announced. “As a re­ Pleasant, PA sult of the higher order volumes, the ratio of order Solartech Renewables Kingston, NY n/a 24 and delivery – or ‘book to bill ratio’ – is 1.9:1, which SolarWorld Hillsboro, OR 350 350 is the highest in four quarters,” says President and Solon Corp. Tucson, AZ 40 n/a insolvent CEO Steve Rhoades. Satcon registered 130 % more Solyndra, Inc. Fremont, CA n/a n/a insolvent orders than in the fourth quarter of 2011. “Our stra­ tegic alignment in this quarter has put us into a posi­ Suniva Inc. Norcross, GA 170 170 tion to improve our financial results and gain a SunPower Corp. Milpitas, CA n/a n/a stronger foothold in the world’s solar market with the Suntech Power Goodyear, AZ 30 50 strongest growth,” says Rhoades. “The orders re­ W Energies Group, LLC. Sherman, TX n/a n/a ceived in the first quarter demonstrate the demand Willard & Kelsey Solar Group Perrysburg, OH n/a 90 for our industry­leading solutions. We significantly Source: company data enhanced our balance sheet, reduced our current assets and paid off most of our short­ and long­term installation costs for PV plants had fallen by 20 %. debt.” Shayle Kann, Director of GTM Research, believes that But Satcon is not stopping there. The company re­ the growth will again be strong in 2012. “For the full cently announced to have finalized a strategic manu­ year 2012, GTM and the industry association SEIA ex­ facturing agreement with the Canada­based pect an increase in the new installations in the range Sanmina­SCI Corporation. Under the terms of the of 35 to 50 %, which will lead to a newly installed ca­ agreement, Sanmina­SCI will produce Satcon’s in­ pacity of 2,500 to 2,800 MW.” verters in Ottawa, Ontario, to comply with the require­ Experts believe that the different price structure ments of the Ontario Feed­In­Tariff (FIT) Programme. in the United States is leading to these positive out­ This means that the owners of PV plants in Ontario looks for 2012. Other than in Europe, the electricity will be able to claim the feed­in tariff when using price is subject to high levels of fluctuation in the US. Satcon’s inverters. “The Canadian solar market has According to the market researcher Solarplaza, about developed steadily over the past three years and is one fifth of US Americans are able to produce electric­ poised for significant growth in the future,” says Pete ity from rooftop plants at costs lower than household DeGraff, Satcon’s Executive Vice President of World­ electricity. In view of the massive price decline for PV wide Sales, Services and Marketing. plants, the grid parity target is coming into reach in In the United States, Satcon has also been able to other parts of the United States as well, says land a deal. The company announced that it has been Solarplaza. In other words: the boom of the US mar­ selected by the company Unity Electric, LLC to supply ket will be only a matter of time. And this is not all: inverters for a 16 MW utility­scale solar farm in Tinton the sheer size of the country makes the transmission Falls, New Jersey. Upon completion, the project will of electricity a costly matter in the United States. be one of the largest solar installations in the north­ Decentralized PV systems – small­scale or large­scale east of the United States. – are becoming an attractive solution. “Although In the south­east, PV systems in the multi-­ growth in the segment for residential PV has been re­ megawatt range have already become a standard. spectable and the commercial segment has contrib­ SunPeak Solar LLC, a company based in Palm Desert, 76 Sun & Wind Energy 7/2012 California, recently celebrated the completion of a Capacities of thin-film manufacturers in the US 23 MW solar plant in Southern California. The Impe­ rial Valley Solar Company 1 plant is the largest PV sys­ Company Location 2010 [MW] 2011 [MW] tem in the Imperial Valley where several projects Abound Solar Longmont, CO 65 130 larger than 100 MW are under construction, says the Ascent Solar Thornton, CO 30 30 company.
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