CHINESE solar panel maker Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. expects higher module shipments in the second quarter, led by increased demand in its domestic market.

    The firm’s first-quarter net loss nearly halved as a marginal rise in panel prices and a tight lid on costs helped boost margins.

    The firm expects to ship about 870-950-megawatt modules in the second quarter of this year.

    Yingli shipped 630.8-megawatt modules in the first quarter of this year.

    “Beginning second quarter, we have seen a significant upbeat in the demand from China as well as emerging markets... and expect this trend to continue through 2014,” chief financial officer Wang Yiyu said yesterday.

    Rival Trina Solar Ltd. had also forecast higher shipments for the second quarter, helped by improving demand from China.

    Investors have feared that China will miss its target of installing 14.5 gigawatts of solar capacity this year due to a lack of funds.

    Yingli is confident that the Chinese market will be larger and more reliable, and expects the government to announce new incentives to support the solar distribution market, Wang said. (SD-Agencies)