GINTECH

Motech, which was covered in the August 2008 issue of Taiwan Review, was the world's sixth-largest manufacturer of solar cells in 2007. In terms of production capacity, Gintech, which was founded only in 2005, expects to rank sixth in the world this year, contributing 8 percent of the projected world total of seven gigawatts... In the current economic downturn, however, the solar power industry has inevitably also felt the pinch. One Taiwan manufacturer, Gintech Energy Corp., has postponed the construction of a new plant for a year. Sino-American itself has also expressed worries about the possible drop in the demand for silicon wafers used to make solar cells. "In winter, it's natural to see fewer orders because it is not so convenient to install solar panels then in much of Europe and the United States," Hsu says. "So you have to wait until about February. If the demand remains low after that, you'll know that the recession has had an impact on this industry."... The vast majority..