Has it really been a month since my last weekly solar roundup? I do apologize, Fools. Be assured that I have kept an eye on solar market happenings in the interim, and will continue to do so. Let's get right to it, shall we?
On Monday, Yingli Green Energy
Tuesday saw Germany's Phoenix Solar report preliminary results. The company saw revenue explode 128% year-on-year in the fourth quarter, accounting for almost half of the full-year result. Check out the full-year EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) margins, though: 2% for the components and systems segment, and 3.5% for power plants. That's pretty brutal, and Phoenix is downright thriving compared to Q-Cells (more on that in a few paragraphs).
ReneSola
Yesterday, Q-Cells' CEO quit, citing a loss of confidence by the capital markets. That is a fair assessment. Bloomberg cites 32 sell recommendations out of 44 analysts following the German cell manufacturer, which used to be the world's largest.
To wrap up, here are a few of the biggest deals announced this week. SunEdison, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials