Graph of the Day: Rise of the new solar kings

Solar module shipments for the world’s top-20 PV manufacturers totaled more than 5.8 gigawatts (GW) in the second quarter of 2013 – a record-high volume and 21 per cent increase on the 4.8GW of this time last year, according to the latest NPD Solarbuzz Module Tracker Quarterly.

NPD Solarbuzz says it expects the final results for the quarter – available over the next few weeks – will show that Chinese tier-one manufacturers like Yingli Green Energy, Trina Solar, Jinko Solar, Renesola, and Hanwha SolarOne, have broken their quarterly module shipment records.

Yingli Green Energy is the star of the moment, though, with quarterly shipments expected to reach 0.8GW – a new world record for any single PV supplier.

“Yingli Green Energy has been strongly focused on market share gains over the past four quarters,” said Ray Lian, senior analyst at NPD Solarbuzz. “The company is rapidly approaching 10 per cent global market share, and has now become the clear leader in megawatt shipments. The leading solar PV suppliers are now starting to pull away from the pack, which provides strong evidence that the anticipated industry consolidation is finally in progress.”

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