Canadian Solar

From zero to hero in 20 years, China’s PV industry has undergone an extraordinary journey. Vincent Shaw considers the reasons for the nation’s solar success and the challenges ahead.

TrendForce has ranked the top six module manufacturers by shipment volume in 2022, with Longi topping the list, followed by Trina Solar and JinkoSolar. JA Solar, Canadian Solar, and Risen Energy rounded out the top six, in a year dominated by large-format modules.

CSI Solar, a Canadian Solar subsidiary, is increasing its manufacturing capacity in 2024 by adding significantly more ingots, wafers, cells and modules, in order to meet strong market demand and accelerate growth.

While shingled cells have been around for a while, Tongwei’s adoption of the technology is notable as it is a manufacturer with considerable scale. If shingling can overcome some hurdles, it could prove a welcome solution as unshaded sites for PV become elusive in mature solar markets.

pv magazine Australia’s Natalie Filatoff reports on the benefits of planning vast solar project pipelines, and the barriers faced by those who dare to dream big.

Module manufacturer Canadian Solar first submitted an application for an initial public offering in June 2021.

Canadian Solar has resumed plans for an initial public offering in Shanghai, and JA Solar has reported that it shipped 27.1 GW of PV modules in the first nine months of this year. Daqo, meanwhile, has signed a $17.9 billion, long-term polysilicon supply deal with an undisclosed customer.

Energy policy in China’s Inner Mongolia region took a sharp turn on Aug. 30, when the authorities decided to terminate discounted power prices, effective immediately. The full impact of this shift remains to be seen.

Tongwei has won a contract to supply China Resources Power with 3 GW of solar panels, while Canadian Solar has revealed that it had a particularly strong second quarter.

Canadian Solar has announced plans to invest in a new solar production base in Qinghai province, while Boamax Technologies has revealed that it will build a new heterojunction solar cell and module factory in Anhui province.