Sharp plans to cut solar panel production in Europe and the US next year to focus on Japan and other Asian markets. The company is looking to increase domestic solar market share 2013, and has been focusing on solar PV systems
Sharp plans to cut solar panel production in Europe and the US next year to focus on Japan and other Asian markets. The company is looking to increase domestic solar market share from 30% in 2012 to 40% in 2013, and has been focusing on rooftop solar PV system projects. Sharp is expected to issue OEM orders for solar products, and Taiwan-based solar cell makers Gintech, Motech, Neo Solar Power (NSP), DelSolar, and Taiwan Solar Energy Corporation (TSEC) have been cooperating with Sharp and are expected to benefit from this change in policy.
To achieve corporate restructuring, Sharp plans to sell three of its four solar cell plants in Japan. The firm will also attempt to sell solar equipment before end of the 2012 fiscal year. Solar cell production will be integrated into Sharp’s plant in Sakai city in Osaka and the extra workforce will be shifted to other departments to avoid lay-offs. In the past, due to high production costs, Sharp issued solar cell OEM orders to peers in China and Taiwan. However, due to the anti-dumping investigations in the US and EU against China-based solar firms, Sharp reportedly increased reliance on Taiwan-based peers.