For the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company expects total module shipments to be in the range of approximately 1,300 MW to 1,350 MW, including approximately 170 MW of shipments to the Company's utility-scale solar projects that may not be recognized in the fourth quarter 2015 revenue. Total revenue for the fourth quarter of 2015 is expected to be in the range of $930 million to $980 million, with gross margin expected to be between 13% and 15%.
For the full year 2015, the Company is updating its guidance for total module shipments recognized in revenue to be in the range of approximately 4.15 GW to 4.2 GW. Total revenue for the full year 2015 is expected to be in the range of $3.28 billion to $3.33 billion, compared to prior guidance of $2.8 billion to $3.0 billion.
Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Solar commented: "We have held the view all year that demand for our solar products would remain strong, with supply constraints likely. As we look to the future, we continue to see strong global demand for modules and tight Tier 1 capacity availability. As a result, we have made the strategic decision to expand our wafer, cell and module manufacturing capacities. Our manufacturing expansion plan includes a new 400 MW cell and module plant in South East Asia, as well as a new module plant in Brazil. We already have the necessary funding in place and are confident our expansion will result in further improvements to our cost structure. Separately, we are keeping our options open regarding the potential launch of a YieldCo with quality assets in OECD countries, and we continue to work on alternative exit strategies for our project portfolio, and expect to make a decent developer's margin if we decide to sell to, or partner with, end-buyers of renewable energy assets." |