Yingli hopes sun shines on market shift

Currently, Yingli has 80 people working in Europe and it expects to increase that to 100 in the next few weeks, at a time when its competitors are cutting their numbers, Jarschel claimed.

Germany remains the company's largest single country market, and in October, Yingli announced plans to establish its European headquarters in Switzerland, as it continues to hold a dominant market position in the region, it said.

"We are still increasing shipments there, but we also recognize margins are falling," added Jarschel.

Since the start of last year, many European countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom and France, have announced plans to reduce or halt subsidies for PV products manufacturers.

According to Jarschel, the key element in Yingli's competitiveness is its level of innovation.

"If you look at the figures, Yingli is still expanding its investment in research and innovation, working with technical experts worldwide on ways to improve the efficiency and performance of our products."

The company has a 12,000-square-meter research and development center in Spain, and also has cooperative agreements with various leading European research institutions, mostly in Germany.

"Companies that invest heavily in technology and innovation have a good chance of survival" even when market conditions are worsening, she added, insisting that her company's market-leading technology is what makes it stand out, even against Western competition.

In many European markets, such as Germany, where government subsidies have been readily available in the past, when they stop, companies will feel the effect, she said.

"Even some German companies have been reluctant to invest in strengthening their levels of innovation, and when the policies change, it will be a big blow.

"But, in several markets, even in Europe, our customers can install our solar power stations at the same price or even lower (than local suppliers).

"We have reached parity, and we don't need subsidies."

Contact the writers at dingqingfen@chinadaily.com.cn and huangtiantian@chinadaily.com.cn

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