Tongwei grew its solar cell shipments in the first half of 2020 by 31% on annual basis which got it the top place in PV InfoLink’s top 5 solar cell shipment ranking for the period. There was significant growth for all 5 suppliers in H1/2020, according to the market research firm that counts total shipments of mono and multi-Si cells to external clients.

Aiko Solar grew its annual shipments for the period by 83% to claim the second spot, followed by Runergy whose shipments doubled. It experienced the strongest growth according to PV InfoLink. Lu’an was on the 4^th place in the ranking with shipments going up 76% with the company doing well in the domestic market. With 22% shipment growth from last year, Solar Space was on the 5^th place.

“Cell manufacturers slightly lowered utilization rates for both mono- and multi-Si lines during February and March due to impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. As the virus raged across the globe over April to May, the manufacturers were expected to cut production further. But with the return of the June 30 installation rush in China, they were allowed to run at full capacity in May through June,” observed analysts.

PV InfoLink analysts see total cell shipments by the top 5 companies having grown from a year back, but the trend also shows tier 1 cell manufacturers with cost and sales advantages and compatibility with large wafers to have ‘cannibalized’ smaller manufacturers’ market share during the reporting period.

“As new cell capacities continue to come online in the second half, it remains to be seen how many older production lines will be eliminated,” added the analysts.

For solar module ranking during H1/2020, PV InfoLink placed JinkoSolar on the top among leading 10 module suppliers followed by LONGi (see JinkoSolar Top Module Supplier During H1/2020).