LDK Solar provides solar wafers worldwide to manufacturers of photovoltaic solar cells and modules.  As a direct result of the current global economic crisis, the company saw a drop in orders and earnings.

LDK Solar announced a change in its fourth quarter earnings for 2008.Rather than shipping the estimated 260-270 MW of wafers, the company only shipped between 245 – 255 MW of wafers.  This loss in business cost the company over $100 million in revenue.  Rather than earning $555 to $565 million as projected, the company earned $425-$435 million.

Although LDK Solar has two new polysilicon plants under construction, the outlook for 2009 has dimmed as well.  LDK expects fewer orders and lower revenue.

LDK Solar has headquarters and manufacturing facilities located in Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province in the People’s Republic of China. The company also has an office in the United States located in Sunnyvale, California.

LDK Solar manufactures multicrystalline solar wafers in two sizes of 125 X125 mm and 156 X 156 mm.  The wafers can be produced in a variety of thickness from 180 to 240 microns.  LDK Solar also has strategic partnerships covering support on equipment, processes and technology with two PV equipment manufacturers, GT Solar (U.S.) and HTC (Switzerland).

Even with the slowdown, LDK Solar has a back log of orders that is keeping the company busy.  LDK is expecting to be able to ship 1.57 to 1.67 GW of wafers this coming year with the increased output provided by its new plant.  This projection is lower than previously stated.

It will be interesting to see if LDK Solar can meet this lowered expectation.  With world wide sales off due to the economy, it could find even the scaled down numbers unreachable.

If President Obama does provide government investment in green technologies like solar, it could only help companies like LDK Solar and GT Solar as well as other American companies that rely on LDK Solar’s wafers.

Here’s hoping for the emergence of a new green economy.

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Entry was posted on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 at 12:51 pm under Green Technology.

Read more entries by Susan Wilson.
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