Green Energy Technology Inc (綠能科技), the nation’s top solar wafer producer, yesterday said the business outlook for the solar energy industry is better this quarter than last quarter because of gradually increasing demand in China.
By 2016, demand for silicon wafers is expected to be greater than supply, Green Energy Technology president Swean Lin (林士源) told reporters on the sidelines of the opening ceremony for a photovoltaic exhibition in Taipei.
“This is because demand for high-efficiency silicon wafers continues to grow,” Lin said.
“However, companies are reducing their investments in silicon wafer plants at the same time,” he added.
In the past, the market focused mainly on ground-based, large-scale solar power plants, but commercial and consumer demand for rooftop solar panels is growing, he said.
“Slim and light products with high efficiency will become a market trend,” he said.
“We expect our revenue will continue to grow in the fourth quarter,” Lin said, adding that the company focuses on high-efficiency products to attract customers.
The annual photovoltaic show, which began yesterday, is being held at the Taipei World Trade Center’s Exhibition Hall I through tomorrow.
A total of 150 companies from 70 countries have 435 booths exhibiting their latest offerings at the three-day show at a time when companies are experiencing mild demand pick-up in China despite the effects of an ongoing US anti-dumping probe.
In July, the US announced punitive tariffs on solar photovoltaic cells, panels and modules exported from Taiwan and China as a result of the investigation.
The US is to announce its final decision on countervailing duties in December and Lin expects the final result to not be higher than those announced earlier this year.
Taiwanese manufacturers face tariffs of 27.6 percent to 44.2 percent, while Chinese manufacturers are to pay 26.33 to 165.04 percent on exports of their goods.
In August, due to previous errors in the calculation of the anti-dumping duty rate, the US adjusted downward the tariffs imposed on Motech Industries Inc (茂迪) to 20.86 percent.
Similar adjustments would see anti-dumping duties imposed on other Taiwanese vendors, such as Gintech Energy Corp (昱晶), lowered to 24.23 percent.
“If the final tariff rates are lower than the original ones, then for Taiwanese solar companies it means the worst days are over,” Lin said.
Green Energy Technology sales for last month were NT$1.31 billion (US$43.1 million), up 13.13 percent year-on-year and 3.14 percent month-on-month.
The firm’s consolidated sales for the third-quarter reached NT$3.8 billion, up 10.46 percent from the second-quarter’s NT$3.44 billion.
In the first nine months of the year, the firm’s cumulative sales totaled NT$11.01 billion, up 20.72 percent from the same period last year.
Green Energy Technology shares were unchanged at NT$19.25 in Taipei trading yesterday.
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