www.digitimes.com/news/a20101214PD203.html GCL-Poly and LDK extends battle to strategic alliances and Taiwan solar cell market Nuying Huang, Taipei; Willie Teng, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 14 December 2010] As more players enter the solar arena and companies continue to ramp up capacity, strategic integrations and alliances have become critical for success, particularly in the China market. China-based upstream solar material producer LDK Solar has announced an alliance with BYD, while fellow material supplier GCL-Poly is reportedly in talks with Taiwan's Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) about cooperation in renewable energy and LED applications. Taiwan-based solar cell makers are expected to benefit from the alliances as both China-based companies believe that Taiwan, a major solar producer, is a market that cannot be taken lightly, according to sources from the solar industry. Competition between LDK and GCL-Poly began in 2009 when LDK's polycrystalline silicon (poly-si) production lines went online, and then it intensified after GCL-Poly expanded downstream to solar wafers and the system end. Unlike GCL-Poly, which announced that it will not manufacture solar cells, LDK entered the solar cell sector in 2010 but the company indicated that cell capacity is strictly for its own solar system operations and not to compete with solar cell clients. The two China-based companies have extended their battle to Taiwan, which is one of the world's main bases of solar cell manufacturing. LDK signed long-term supply contracts with most Taiwan-based solar cell makers in 2008, and had a market share lead, but with the wafer shortage in 2010, GCL-Poly was able to gain ground in the Taiwan market. In October 2010, LDK announced a two-year poly-Si supply agreement worth US$300 million with electric car battery company BYD. BYD plans to invest CNY22.5 billion (US$3.38 billion) to build a 5GWp solar cell plant in Shaanxi, China. LDK and BYD look to be joining forces to become a vertically integrated giant. GCL-Poly and Foxconn's possible alliance could form a similarly complementary partnership. With Foxconn's experience and cost management in manufacturing, the alliance should help GCL-Poly in module and system production and provide Foxconn a piece of the solar energy market. |