Well ahead of the German solar subsidy cuts slated for July 1, German demand for solar modules from powerhouses Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd. and First Solar has been high—high enough to have prompted the former to add 1 gigawatt in production capacity in Shanghai over the following three years, and high enough to  have induced the latter to announce its inability to meet demand this year.

Sales were high for the first half of 2010, with solar module orders high in anticipation of July 1 subsidy cuts, according to Stephan Hansen, Managing Director at First Solar. In an interview with Swiss paper Finanz und Wirtschaft, he stated that business will likely improve fourth quarter after a slow showing in the third quarter, due to the subsidy cuts. With subsidies expected to fall again in 2011, First Solar won’t be limiting its sales operations to Germany, particularly if the country stops subsidizing farmland solar systems, as it plans to. The world’s lowest cost producer of solar modules also views the United States—where it is based, in Arizona—the Middle East, Africa, China and India as potentially lucrative markets, although it has had to postpone projects in its home country in order to meet European demand.

First Solar, of course, isn’t the only global player with its sales engine currently in overdrive. Chinese producers such as Suntech, Yingli and Trina have also showed signs of being sold out, according to Hansen. Suntech Chairman Zhengrong Shi told reporters on Saturday that he expected the German solar cell market—still the world’s largest—to grow by 70 to 80 percent this year and the U.S. market to grow to 1 GW for 2010. With a 2.68 billion yuan ($393 million US) investment in its new Shanghai facility, Suntech is certainly putting its money where its mouth is.