Due to increases in both shipments and conversion efficiency, Taiwanese PV cell makers experienced a record shipment growth in 2014, according to the latest report by EnergyTrend, a division of TrendForce. This growth was in spite of being under the anti-dumping and countervailing investigation by the United States International Trade Commission (referred to here as the USITC) during the year.
The US International Trade Commission (USITC) has officially voted to uphold the findings that Chinese and Taiwanese PV manufacturers have been dumping their products. The tariffs against PV imports will follow the Depart of Commerce’s (DOC) decision which was released on Dec. 2014: anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) will be imposed on Chinese PV imports and anti-dumping tariffs will be imposed on Taiwanese PV imports.
TrendForce Corp., a global market intelligence firm, announced today (January 22) that it has become the majority shareholder of Topology Research Institute, with all the controlling stakeholder’s operating rights entailed. Kevin Lin, the CEO of TrendForce, will also hold the title of Chairman of Topology. Topology’s operations, brand, and managing staff will be under the same business model after the merger.
According to EnergyTrend, a research division of TrendForce, the overall demand for lithium batteries for the 2014 cycle was steady despite some turbulences. The first half of the year saw a strong promotion for power banks. This was followed by a push for prismatic laptop batteries as well as popular large-screen handheld devices driven by Apple in the second half. These factors affected the supply and demand for cylindrical, prismatic and polymer battery markets.
EnergyTrend, a research division of TrendForce, expects the overall PV market price in the first quarter of 2015 to remain constant until the end of the Chinese New Year. Afterwards, shipment demand will decrease and the price will drop. The beginning of holiday season in China meets the end of the holiday season in the US and Europe, and this means that there is a reduction of working hours in China happening at the same time with a return of purchase orders from the US and Europe.