Canadian Solar Cultivates Japanese Solar Module Market

Canadian Solar, a solar module maker headed in Ontario, Canada, started to cultivate Japanese market. The firm aims to increase annual solar module sales to 30,000 systems, 150 MW with 10% market shares in Japan in next 3 years. The firm established Japanese local office, Canadian Solar Japan, in Tokyo in June 2009 and started commercial operation in January 2010. Canadian Solar Japan has sold solar modules at total 1,000 systems, 4 MW through 4 distributors mainly in Japanese market for January-May.

Canadian Solar Japan expects for additional 4,000 systems sales within 2010. The annual sales plan for the first year is total 5,000 systems, 20 MW, mainly targeting residential market. Solar modules are adopted by only 1% of Japanese residents at present and the demand is expected to grow up in future.

Canadian Solar was established in 2001 as an integrated producer of solar modules. The firm produces silicon ingots, silicon wafers, solar cells and solar modules by themselves. The global sales target is more than 700 MW in 2010.

The integrated productive site is located in China while a new plant is under construction in Ontario, Canada to supply solar modules to North American market. Canadian new plant will produce solar modules using solar cells supplied by Chinese existent plant. Chinese plant is scheduled to double solar cell output capacity soon.