Green Energy Technology (GET), in view of tight supply of solar-grade polycrystalline silicon wafers arising from increasing demand in China, Japan and emerging markets, aims to increase ASPs by 3-5% in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to company president Swean Lin.
ASPs for solar-grade polycrystalline silicon wafers with high energy conversion rates of over 17.6% have risen 1.5%, Lin said.
GET has fully utilized its production capacity and the full utilization is expected to continue until 2014, Lin noted. As its own production capacity is not enough to meet orders, GET has rented equipment with a total annual capacity of 500MWp in China, Lin indicated.
Due to strong demand in China, Japan and the US, global demand for solar-grade silicon wafers will grow in 2014, Lin pointed out. The total capacity of PV systems to be installed around the world in 2014 is estimated at 40GWp, Lin said.
GET will make efforts to tap emerging markets in 2014, Lin noted. GET aims to decrease its revenue proportion from the Taiwan market from 75% currently to 45-60% eventually, maintain that for the China market at 10-15%, and hike that for emerging markets to 30-40%, Lin detailed.
Under the government's active boost, PV demand in China is expected to grow through 2015 and this is the main force to sustain prices for PV products, Lin indicated.
Apollo Solar Energy, a PV module maker in which GET holds a 45% stake, has obtained UL (Underwriter Laboratories), TUV and JET (Japan Electric Safety & Environment Technology Laboratories) certification, with 70% of production for OEM clients and 30% for own-brand sale in Japan, the US and Southeast Asia mainly, Lin said. As own-brand sales are more profitable than OEM production, GET hopes that Apollo Solar can hike the own-brand sales proportion to 50%, Lin said.
Apollo Solar has an annual production capacity of 100-120MWp currently, and plans to expand capacity through setting up additional equipment and using existing equipment on lease to a total annual level of 360MWp at the end of 2014, Lin said.
