Affected by global financial crisis in 2008, the global economy is going through a difficult winter. China's solar cell industry has been enjoying a period of stable and rapid growth in recent years, which is likely to be slowed under the current economic environment. However, China's solar cell industry still attracts manufacturers' and investors' attention in 2008. The output of China's solar cell industry in 2008 is expected to break through 2000MW. Compared with 2007, China's solar cell industry maintains a rapid development pace.

CCID Consulting forecasts that in 2009, with demands for renewable, clean and security energies increasing, innovations in thin film techniques and falling costs, China's solar cell industry will undergo a restructure period in its industry chain. The new application of thin film solar cell and other power supply will appear.

Governmental Support Brings Opportunities to the Solar Cell Industry

The promulgation and implementation of China's Renewable Energy Law will allow the size of China's photovoltaic industry to expand in the next two years; China's solar cell industry will become gradually mature.

Among the 4 trillion Yuan the nation promised to invest to boost economic growth, energy-saving, environmental protection and new energy industries will be playing important roles, that these investment will drive the rapid development of the solar cell industry.

Thin Film Technology Under Spotlight

Among amorphous silicon photovoltaic cell technologies, thin film solar cell technology is considered to be most suitable for large scale industrialization. In next two years, thin film technical progress and conversion rate's improvement will gradually highlight thin film solar cell's cost advantage. Restricted by silicon materials, major manufacturers have transferred to invest in thin film. In 2009, this trend will be more obvious.

With major manufacturers' thin film technical successive investment and production, despite that thin film technology cannot completely replace crystalline silicon technology in the short term, based on its cost advantage, its market share will increase rapidly.

Industry Chain Faces Local Adjustment

Solar power generation (photovoltaic generation) industry chain includes upstream polysilicon production, midstream silicon cutting and solar cell production and downstream solar cell components production. More and more enterprises will focus on the midstream and downstream. Upstream manufacturers and VC will enlarge their investment in silicon cutting and solar cell production. Industrial integration trend will strengthen.

Demands in China's Domestic Market to Surge Next Year

In the short term, China's solar cell industry will still need to rely heavily on silicon raw materials and terminal market. More than 90% of polysilicon, main raw material of solar battery depends on import and more than 90% terminal products rely on export. Demands on domestic solar battery market are to be lifted.

Solar battery products will be more popular, getting along with environment protection and energy saving policies. Mobile solar battery will appear in the market due to energy saving, 3G, uniform mobile phone charging interface, and other policies.

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