Bottom line: Chinese solar panel makers who can set up profitable offshore factories could be poised for good long-term growth, demonstrating they can survive without support from Beijing.

Two new moves on the solar front show that leading Chinese panel makers continue to march offshore in a bid to avoid anti-dumping sanctions in the US and possibly in Europe. One move has ReneSola (NYSE: SOL), one of the most advanced in the offshore migration, announcing a new joint venture in the US. The other has JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS) landing new financing for a panel manufacturing plant in Malaysia.
Both news items look relatively encouraging, showing the Chinese panel makers want to demonstrate they can manufacture profitably in these overseas locations without financial support from Beijing. But JinkoSolar’s announcement is also showing just how tough that transformation could be, since most of the funding for its new Malaysia plant is coming from a major Chinese policy lender. Read Full Post…