Canadian Solar Reports First Quarter 2023 Results
Highlights
66% increase in solar module shipments year-over-year ("yoy") to 6.1 GW, in line with guidance of 5.9 GW to 6.2 GW.36% increase in revenue yoy to , in line with guidance of$1.7 billion to$1.6 billion .$1.8 billion 18.7% gross margin, in line with guidance of18% to20% .- Net income attributable to Canadian Solar of
or$84 million per diluted share.$1.19 - 25 GWp of solar development pipeline and 47 GWh of battery storage development pipeline, as of March 31, 2023 (Recurrent Energy, formerly Global Energy).
- Carve-out IPO of CSI Solar subsidiary on track to be completed in the second quarter of 2023.
Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO, commented, "We started off the year strong with
Yan Zhuang, President of Canadian Solar's CSI Solar subsidiary, said, "We delivered a record operating profit in the first quarter, despite normal seasonal softness with lower input and manufacturing processing costs, and lower logistics costs. Looking ahead, as we continue to grow our volumes and increase the level of vertical integration, we expect profitability to remain healthy as our cost structure continues to improve and we reap the benefits of greater scale. On the battery energy storage side, we continue to grow our contracted turnkey pipeline which stood at approximately
Ismael Guerrero, Corporate VP and President of Canadian Solar's Recurrent Energy subsidiary, said, "As expected, we monetized a smaller number of projects in the first quarter, namely, around 5 MWp in
Dr. Huifeng Chang, Senior VP and CFO, added, "In the first quarter, we achieved
First Quarter 2023 Results
Total module shipments recognized as revenues in the first quarter of 2023 were 6.1 GW, up
Net revenues in the first quarter of 2023 were up
Gross profit in the first quarter of 2023 was
Total operating expenses in the first quarter of 2023 were
Depreciation and amortization charges in the first quarter of 2023 were
Net interest expense in the first quarter of 2023 was
Net foreign exchange and derivative loss in the first quarter of 2023 was
Net income attributable to Canadian Solar in the first quarter of 2023 was
Net cash flow provided by operating activities in the first quarter of 2023 was
Total debt was
Total project assets as of March 31, 2023 were
The net value of solar power systems as of March 31, 2023 was
Corporate Structure
The Company has two business segments: Recurrent Energy, formerly Global Energy, and CSI Solar. The two businesses operate as follows:
- Recurrent Energy (formerly Global Energy) is one of the world's largest clean energy project development platforms with 14 years' experience, having delivered nearly 9 GWp of solar power projects and 3 GWh of battery storage projects. It is vertically integrated and has strong expertise from greenfield origination, development, financing, execution, operations and maintenance, and asset management.
- CSI Solar consists of solar module and battery storage manufacturing, and delivery of total system solutions, including inverters, solar system kits and EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) services. CSI Solar's battery storage business includes both its utility-scale turnkey battery system solutions, as well as a small but growing residential battery storage business. These storage systems solutions are complemented with long-term service agreements, including future battery capacity augmentation services.
Recurrent Energy Segment (formerly Global Energy)
Recurrent Energy is one of the world's largest and most geographically diversified utility-scale solar and energy storage project development platforms, with a 14-year track record of originating, developing, financing, and building nearly 9 GWp of solar power plants and 3 GWh of battery storage power plants across six continents. As of March 31, 2023, the Company had a leading position with a total global solar development pipeline of approximately 25 GWp and an energy storage development pipeline of over 47 GWh.
While Recurrent Energy's business model was historically predominantly develop-to-sell, as previously communicated, the Company is in the process of adjusting its strategy to create greater asset value and retain greater ownership of projects in select markets to increase the revenues generated through recurring income, such as power sales, operations and maintenance, and asset management income.
The business model will consist of three key drivers:
- Operating portfolio to drive stable, diversified cash flows in growth markets with stable currencies.
- Project sales (or asset rotations) in the rest of the world, driving cash-efficient, funded growth model as value from project sales will help fund growth in operating assets.
- Power services through long-term operations and maintenance ("O&M") contracts, currently with 6 GW of contracted projects.
Recurrent Energy is continuing to evaluate adjustments in its growth strategy to hold valuable solar assets for the longer term.
Project Development Pipeline – Solar
As of March 31, 2023, Recurrent Energy's total solar project development pipeline was 24.6 GWp, including 1.7 GWp under construction, 5.2 GWp of backlog, and 17.7 GWp of projects in advanced and early-stage pipelines, defined as follows:
- Backlog projects are late-stage projects that have passed their risk cliff date and are expected to start construction in the next 1-4 years. A project's risk cliff date is the date on which the project passes the last high-risk development stage and varies depending on the country where it is located. This is usually after the projects have received all the required environmental and regulatory approvals, and entered into interconnection agreements, feed-in tariff ("FIT") arrangements and power purchase agreements ("PPAs"). Significant majority of projects in backlog are contracted (i.e., have secured a PPA or FIT), and the remaining are reasonably assured of securing PPAs.
- Advanced pipeline projects are mid-stage projects that have secured or have more than
90% certainty of securing an interconnection agreement. - Early-stage pipeline projects are early-stage projects controlled by Recurrent Energy that are in the process of securing interconnection.
The following table presents Recurrent Energy's total solar project development pipeline.
Solar Project Development Pipeline (as of March 31, 2023) – MWp* | ||||||
Region | In | Backlog | Advanced | Early-Stage | Total | |
- | 422 | 1,977 | 4,656 | 7,055 | ||
1,400** | 2,397** | 887 | 407 | 5,091 | ||
| 89 | 1,236 | 3,194 | 3,267 | 7,786 | |
4 | 141 | 12 | 46 | 203 | ||
250 | 971** | - | 1,325 | 2,546 | ||
- | 3 | 1,001 | 887 | 1,891 | ||
Total | 1,743 | 5,170 | 7,071 | 10,588 | 24,572 | |
*All numbers are gross MWp. **Including 672 MWp in construction and 332 MWp in backlog that are owned by or already sold to third parties. | ||||||
Project Development Pipeline – Battery Storage
As of March 31, 2023, Recurrent Energy's total battery storage project development pipeline was 47.4 GWh, including 0.3 GWh under construction, 1.7 GWh of backlog, and 45.4 GWh of projects in advanced and early-stage pipelines.
The table below sets forth Recurrent Energy's total storage project development pipeline.
Energy Storage Project Development Pipeline (as of March 31, 2023) – MWh | |||||
Region | In | Backlog | Advanced | Early-Stage Pipeline | Total |
- | - | 3,898 | 15,242 | 19,140 | |
- | 1,100 | 2,040 | 970 | 4,110 | |
EMEA | - | 110 | 4,038 | 10,081 | 14,229 |
- | - | - | 19 | 19 | |
300 | - | - | 7,500 | 7,800 | |
20 | 458 | 200 | 1,440 | 2,118 | |
Total | 320 | 1,668 | 10,176 | 35,252 | 47,416 |
Projects in Operation – Solar and Energy Storage Power Plants
As of March 31, 2023, Recurrent Energy's solar power plants in operation totaled 609 MWp, with a combined estimated net resale value of approximately
Solar Power Plants in Operation – MWp* | ||||
ex. | Total | |||
335 | 176 | 86 | 12 | 609 |
*All numbers are net MWp owned by Recurrent Energy; total gross MWp of projects is 1,063 MWp, |
As of March 31, 2023, Recurrent Energy's energy storage power plants in operation totaled 280 MWh, representing the
Operating Results
The following table presents select unaudited results of operations data of the Recurrent Energy segment for the periods indicated.
Recurrent Energy Segment Financial Results (In Thousands of | |||
Three Months Ended | |||
March 31, 2023 | December 31, | March 31, 2022 | |
Net revenues | 20,052 | 73,650 | 92,966 |
Cost of revenues | 12,843 | 57,686 | 75,130 |
Gross profit | 7,209 | 15,964 | 17,836 |
Operating expenses | 22,414 | 17,315 | 18,847 |
Loss from operations* | (15,205) | (1,351) | (1,011) |
Gross margin | 36.0 % | 21.7 % | 19.2 % |
Operating margin | -75.8 % | -1.8 % | -1.1 % |
*Loss from operations reflects management's allocation and estimate as some services are shared by the Company's |
CSI Solar Segment
Solar Modules
CSI Solar shipped 6.1 GW of solar modules to more than 70 countries in the first quarter of 2023. For the first quarter of 2023, the top five markets ranked by shipments were
CSI Solar's 2024 solar capacity expansion targets are set forth below.
Solar Manufacturing Capacity, GW* | ||||
March 2023 Actual | June 2023 Plan | December 2023 Plan | March 2024 Plan | |
Ingot | 20.4 | 20.4 | 20.4 | 50.4 |
Wafer | 21.0 | 21.0 | 35.0 | 50.0 |
Cell | 21.0 | 26.0 | 50.0 | 60.0 |
Module | 36.2 | 36.7 | 50.0 | 75.0 |
*Nameplate annualized capacities at said point in time. Capacity expansion plans are subject to change without notice |
Battery Storage Solutions
Within CSI Solar, the battery storage solutions team, namely CSI Energy Storage, provides customers with competitive turnkey, integrated, utility-scale battery storage solutions, including bankable, end-to-end, utility-scale, turnkey battery storage system solutions across various applications. System performance is complemented with long-term service agreements, which include future battery capacity augmentation services and bring in long-term, stable income.
As of March 31, 2023, CSI Energy Storage had a total project turnkey pipeline of 22.8 GWh, which includes both contracted and in construction projects, as well as projects at different stages of the negotiation process. CSI Energy Storage was also managing 2.3 GWh of projects under long-term service agreements, which are operational battery storage projects delivered by CSI Energy Storage that are under multi-year long-term service agreements and generate recurring earnings.
The total contracted turnkey pipeline was approximately
The table below sets forth CSI Energy Storage's battery storage manufacturing capacity expansion targets.
Battery Storage Manufacturing | March 2023 Actual | December 2023 Plan |
SolBank | 2.5 | 10.0 |
*Nameplate annualized capacities at said point in time. Capacity expansion plans are subject to change without notice |
Operating Results
The following table presents select unaudited results of operations data of the CSI Solar segment for the periods indicated.
CSI Solar Segment Financial Results* (In Thousands of | |||
Three Months Ended | |||
March 31, 2023 | December 31, | March 31, 2022 | |
Net revenues | 1,709,730 | 1,976,045 | 1,209,994 |
Cost of revenues | 1,394,121 | 1,631,417 | 1,034,165 |
Gross profit | 315,609 | 344,628 | 175,829 |
Operating expenses | 146,151 | 192,099 | 143,931 |
Income from operations | 169,458 | 152,529 | 31,898 |
Gross margin | 18.5 % | 17.4 % | 14.5 % |
Operating margin | 9.9 % | 7.7 % | 2.6 % |
*Include effects of both sales to third-party customers and to the Company's Recurrent Energy segment. Please |
The table below provides the geographic distribution of the net revenues of CSI Solar:
CSI Solar Net Revenues Geographic Distribution* (In Millions of | ||||||||
Q1 2023 | % of Net | Q4 2022 | % of Net | Q1 2022 | % of Net | |||
555 | 33 | 846 | 45 | 473 | 41 | |||
632 | 38 | 635 | 33 | 453 | 39 | |||
494 | 29 | 417 | 22 | 231 | 20 | |||
Total | 1,681 | 100 | 1,898 | 100 | 1,157 | 100 | ||
*Excludes sales from CSI Solar to Recurrent Energy. |
Business Outlook
The Company's business outlook is based on management's current views and estimates given factors such as existing market conditions, order book, production capacity, input material prices, foreign exchange fluctuations, anticipated timing of project sales, and the global economic environment. This outlook is subject to uncertainty with respect to, among other things, customer demand, project construction and sale schedules, product sales prices and costs, supply chain constraints, and geopolitical conflicts. Management's views and estimates are subject to change without notice.
For the second quarter of 2023, the Company expects total revenue to be in the range of
For the full year of 2023, the Company reiterates its prior outlook for CSI Solar's total module shipments to be in the range of 30 GW to 35 GW. CSI Solar's battery storage shipments are expected to be in the range of 1.8 GWh to 2.0 GWh, representing this year's transition from white label to own manufactured product. The Company's total revenue is now expected to be in the range of
Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO, commented, "We expect significant revenue and profit growth in the second quarter driven by both higher volume in solar module shipments and project sales. In the CSI Solar segment, volume growth is picking up while costs continue to come down, albeit partially offset by gradual ASP declines. On the Recurrent Energy side, we expect the closing of a major project sale during the quarter to have a significantly positive impact on profit. Overall, we will continue to leverage our market leadership position and expect significant growth in 2023 and beyond across both our solar and battery storage businesses."
Recent Developments
Recurrent Energy (formerly Global Energy)
On May 15, 2023, Canadian Solar announced its wholly-owned subsidiary Recurrent Energy signed an aggregated virtual power purchase agreement with EMD Electronics, Biogen Inc., Wayfair LLC, Autodesk, Inc. and a large healthcare company for
On April 10, 2023, Canadian Solar announced the rebranding of its wholly-owned Global Energy subsidiary as Recurrent Energy. Recurrent Energy, previously the Company's North American utility-scale solar and energy storage project developer, will now encompass all its global development and services businesses.
CSI Solar
On May 17, 2023, Canadian Solar announced its majority-owned subsidiary CSI Solar's CSI Energy Storage will deliver 363 MWh of battery energy products to an Aypa Power Project in
On April 11, 2023, Canadian Solar announced its majority-owned subsidiary CSI Solar capacity expansion plans. Namely, CSI Solar intends to have 20.4 GW of ingot, 35 GW of wafer, 50 GW of cell and 50 GW of module capacities by the end of 2023 and is expected to have 50.4 GW of ingot, 50 GW of wafer, 60 GW of cell and 75 GW of module capacities by the end of Q1 2024.
Conference Call Information
The Company will hold a conference call on Thursday, May 18, 2023, at 8:00 a.m.
A replay of the call will be available 2 hours after the conclusion of the call until 11:00 p.m.
About Canadian Solar Inc.
Canadian Solar was founded in 2001 in
Safe Harbor/Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release, including those regarding the Company's expected future shipment volumes, revenues, gross margins and project sales are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These statements are made under the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the
Investor Relations Contacts:
Isabel Zhang Investor Relations Canadian Solar Inc. | David Pasquale Global IR Partners Tel: +1-914-337-8801 |
FINANCIAL TABLES FOLLOW
The following tables provide unaudited select financial data for the Company's CSI Solar and Recurrent Energy businesses.
Select Financial Data – CSI Solar and Recurrent Energy | |||||||||
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 (In Thousands of | |||||||||
CSI Solar | Recurrent | Elimination | Total | ||||||
Net revenues | 1,709,730 | 20,052 | (28,501) | 1,701,281 | |||||
Cost of revenues | 1,394,121 | 12,843 | (23,684) | 1,383,280 | |||||
Gross profit | 315,609 | 7,209 | (4,817) | 318,001 | |||||
Gross margin | 18.5 % | 36.0 % | — | 18.7 % | |||||
Income (loss) from | 169,458 | (15,205) | (8,649) | 145,604 |
Select Financial Data – CSI Solar and Recurrent Energy | |||||||||
Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 (In Thousands of | |||||||||
CSI Solar | Recurrent Energy | Elimination | Total | ||||||
Net revenues | 1,209,994 | 92,966 | (52,611) | 1,250,349 | |||||
Cost of revenues | 1,034,165 | 75,130 | (39,837) | 1,069,458 | |||||
Gross profit | 175,829 | 17,836 | (12,774) | 180,891 | |||||
Gross margin | 14.5 % | 19.2 % | — | 14.5 % | |||||
Income (loss) from | 31,898 | (1,011) | (15,372) | 15,515 | |||||
(1) Includes inter-segment elimination, and unallocated corporate costs not considered part of management's | |||||||||
(2) Income (loss) from operations reflects management's allocation and estimate as some services are shared |
Select Financial Data - CSI Solar and Recurrent Energy | |||||
Three Months March 31, 2023 | Three Months December 31, | Three Months March 31, 2022 | |||
(In Thousands of | |||||
CSI Solar Revenues: | |||||
Solar modules | 1,454,876 | 1,642,144 | 963,045 | ||
Solar system kits | 133,587 | 157,845 | 90,456 | ||
Utility-scale battery storage | 9,815 | 48,992 | 82,500 | ||
Residential battery storage | 4,995 | 686 | — | ||
EPC | 49,023 | 20,933 | 5,323 | ||
Others | 28,933 | 27,346 | 16,059 | ||
Subtotal | 1,681,229 | 1,897,946 | 1,157,383 | ||
Recurrent Energy Revenues: | |||||
Solar and battery storage projects | 4,621 | 58,504 | 78,392 | ||
O&M and asset management services | 8,687 | 8,087 | 7,948 | ||
Others (includes electricity sales) | 6,744 | 7,059 | 6,626 | ||
Subtotal | 20,052 | 73,650 | 92,966 | ||
Total net revenues | 1,701,281 | 1,971,596 | 1,250,349 |
Canadian Solar Inc. | ||||||
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations | ||||||
(In Thousands of | ||||||
Three Months Ended | ||||||
March 31, | December 31, | March 31, | ||||
2023 | 2022 | 2022 | ||||
Net revenues | ||||||
Cost of revenues | 1,383,280 | 1,622,967 | 1,069,458 | |||
Gross profit | 318,001 | 348,629 | 180,891 | |||
Operating expenses: | ||||||
Selling and distribution | 88,371 | 126,313 | 108,845 | |||
General and administrative | 78,648 | 89,207 | 62,810 | |||
Research and development | 17,307 | 20,607 | 13,280 | |||
Other operating income, | (11,929) | (23,260) | (19,559) | |||
Total operating expenses | 172,397 | 212,867 | 165,376 | |||
Income from operations | 145,604 | 135,762 | 15,515 | |||
Other income (expenses): | ||||||
Interest expense | (20,448) | (20,195) | (15,302) | |||
Interest income | 7,956 | 9,287 | 4,212 | |||
Gain (loss) on change in | 7,601 | (27,071) | (24,738) | |||
Foreign exchange gain | (20,860) | 11,610 | 27,862 | |||
Investment income (loss), net | 8,380 | 2,628 | (5,524) | |||
Total other expense | (17,371) | (23,741) | (13,490) | |||
Income before income taxes | 128,233 | 112,021 | 2,025 | |||
Income tax benefit (expense) | (28,715) | (21,850) | 5,183 | |||
Equity in earnings of affiliates | 7,311 | 8,653 | 1,726 | |||
Net income | 106,829 | 98,824 | 8,934 | |||
Less: Net income (loss) | 23,117 | 20,990 | (273) | |||
Net income attributable to | ||||||
Earnings per share - basic | $ 1.30 | $ 1.21 | $ 0.14 | |||
Shares used in computation - | 64,517,935 | 64,505,398 | 64,028,919 | |||
Earnings per share - diluted | $ 1.19 | $ 1.11 | $ 0.14 | |||
Shares used in computation - | 71,424,749 | 71,307,345 | 64,720,107 |
Canadian Solar Inc. | ||||||
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income | ||||||
(In Thousands of | ||||||
Three Months Ended | ||||||
March 31, | December 31, | March 31, | ||||
2023 | 2022 | 2022 | ||||
Net Income | ||||||
Other comprehensive income | ||||||
Foreign currency translation | 23,250 | 73,310 | 7,511 | |||
Gain on changes in fair value of | 339 | 306 | — | |||
Gain (loss) on interest rate swap, | (105) | 34 | 190 | |||
Share of gain (loss) on changes in | (610) | 1,499 | — | |||
Comprehensive income | 129,703 | 173,973 | 16,635 | |||
Less: comprehensive income | 25,162 | 30,631 | 1,127 | |||
Comprehensive income | ||||||
Canadian Solar Inc. | |||||||
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets | |||||||
(In Thousands of | |||||||
March 31, | December 31, | ||||||
2023 | 2022 | ||||||
ASSETS | |||||||
Current assets: | |||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ 848,035 | ||||||
Restricted cash | 1,207,573 | 978,116 | |||||
Accounts receivable trade, net | 991,168 | 970,950 | |||||
Accounts receivable, unbilled | 67,886 | 57,770 | |||||
Amounts due from related parties | 51,190 | 48,614 | |||||
Inventories | 1,671,544 | 1,524,095 | |||||
Value added tax recoverable | 192,810 | 158,773 | |||||
Advances to suppliers, net | 345,633 | 253,484 | |||||
Derivative assets | 7,761 | 17,516 | |||||
Project assets | 396,035 | 385,964 | |||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 267,833 | 267,941 | |||||
Total current assets | 6,047,468 | 5,644,657 | |||||
Restricted cash | 19,925 | 9,953 | |||||
Property, plant and equipment, net | 1,986,335 | 1,826,643 | |||||
Solar power systems, net | 471,971 | 364,816 | |||||
Deferred tax assets, net | 226,765 | 229,226 | |||||
Advances to suppliers, net | 73,531 | 65,352 | |||||
Investments in affiliates | 136,449 | 115,784 | |||||
Intangible assets, net | 14,797 | 17,530 | |||||
Project assets | 467,567 | 438,529 | |||||
Right-of-use assets | 153,716 | 103,600 | |||||
Amounts due from related parties | 35,106 | 33,489 | |||||
Other non-current assets | 195,693 | 187,549 | |||||
TOTAL ASSETS | $ 9,829,323 | $ 9,037,128 | |||||
Canadian Solar Inc. | |||||
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Continued) | |||||
(In Thousands of | |||||
March 31, | December 31, | ||||
2023 | 2022 | ||||
Current liabilities: | |||||
Short-term borrowings | $ 1,761,960 | ||||
Accounts payable | 797,909 | 805,300 | |||
Short-term notes payable | 1,620,475 | 1,493,399 | |||
Amounts due to related parties | 16,736 | 89 | |||
Other payables | 864,097 | 853,040 | |||
Advances from customers | 335,207 | 334,943 | |||
Derivative liabilities | 11,920 | 25,359 | |||
Operating lease liabilities | 9,779 | 9,810 | |||
Other current liabilities | 397,122 | 293,012 | |||
Total current liabilities | 5,815,205 | 5,258,768 | |||
Long-term borrowings | 862,759 | 813,406 | |||
Convertible notes | 226,335 | 225,977 | |||
Liability for uncertain tax positions | 5,730 | 5,730 | |||
Deferred tax liabilities | 67,930 | 66,630 | |||
Loss contingency accruals | 6,887 | 5,000 | |||
Operating lease liabilities | 72,852 | 25,714 | |||
Other non-current liabilities | 337,560 | 329,209 | |||
TOTAL LIABILITIES | 7,395,258 | 6,730,434 | |||
Equity: | |||||
Common shares | 835,543 | 835,543 | |||
Additional paid-in capital | 2,785 | 1,127 | |||
Retained earnings | 1,359,232 | 1,275,520 | |||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (149,722) | (170,551) | |||
Total Canadian Solar Inc. shareholders' | 2,047,838 | 1,941,639 | |||
Non-controlling interests | 386,227 | 365,055 | |||
TOTAL EQUITY | 2,434,065 | 2,306,694 | |||
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY |
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SOURCE Canadian Solar Inc.