AllThingsD » solar modules

Trina Solar Q2 in Line With Pre-Announcement

Eric Savitz — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:00:01 +0000

Trina Solar (TSL) this afternoon reported Q2 results in line with its recent pre-announcement.

The company posted revenue of $150 million, solar module shipments of 64 MW, gross margin of 27.4 percent, operating margin of 12.4 percent and EPS of 71 cents a share, including 30 cents from the impact of foreign exchange gains offset by receivables write-offs. Trina late last month said it expected to report revenue of $148 million to $152 million, module shipments of 63-65 MW, gross margin of 26-28 percent, and operating margin of 11.5-13.5 percent.

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Solar Module Prices to Drop 20 Percent in '09, UBS Says

Eric Savitz — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:16:28 +0000

Sunshine is free. Solar modules are not. But they are getting cheaper: UBS analyst Stephen Chin today revised his forecast for solar module pricing to down 20 percent from a previous estimate of down 14 percent. Chin says the recent move by the government in Spain to cap its solar subsidy program will move solar module volumes to other markets, including Germany and Japan, where lower pricing is required to generate favorable returns for solar system buyers. The revised Spanish solar subsidy program will cut installations in Spain to 300MW next year, from an estimated 1.2GW this year.

Chin today cut EPS estimates by about 10 percent for 13 global solar companies, including SunPower (SPWR), Evergreen Solar (ESLR), LDK (LDK), Suntech (STP), Yingli (YGE), Q-Cells, Solarworld, REC, Conergy, Solon, Motech, E-Ton and Sino-American Silicon. He also cut his rating on SunPower to Neutral from Buy, while increasing his rating on Energy Conversion Devices (ENER) to Buy from Neutral.

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Akeena: Quality Issues on Solar Modules, Analyst Says

Eric Savitz — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:01:04 +0000

Akeena Solar (AKNS) is having “quality issues” with some of its Andalay brand solar modules, according to Pacific Crest analyst Mark Bachman.

“Our contacts revealed that some panels are being returned to Akeena, depending on the severity of the defect,” he wrote in a research note this morning. The issue he says, involved the frame, and not the performance of the modules themselves. “Akeena touts the aesthetically pleasing nature [of its Andalay line] as a key contributor to charging a premium price,” he writes. “Poor manufacturing quality affecting the looks, coupled with reports from our contacts that the module has been returned, suggest to us that either price breaks were negotiated on the modules kept in the field, or Akeena will suffer increased costs to rectify the situation.”

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