Weather conditions and holidays in Europe and the US are likely to cause Taiwan-based solar firms to report falling December revenues.
Some firms have been seeing orders returning for January and expect relatively good performance despite the low season. Solar cell makers noted that orders are coming but prices are low.
Tier-one solar firms such as Motech and Gintech experienced near full capacity in November but both firms noted that due to fewer working days on the customer end, December orders and capacity utilization rates are likely to fall. Neo Solar Power (NSP) noted that December capacity utilization rate has been flat compared to November, at around 70%.
Solar makers pointed out that orders from Japan, the US, and China have been showing signs of revival and expect capacity utilization rates in January 2013 to increase.
Solar cell prices have been stable in the fourth quarter due to stable prices for China-based solar modules, and solar cell makers' insistence on rejecting orders with lower quotes, according to solar makers. Nevertheless, pricing has been below production costs, hence the industry seen net losses for seven consecutive quarters.