Originally published on EnergyPost. By John Mathews and Hao Tan China’s renewable energy revolution is powering ahead, with the year 2013 marking an important inflection point where the scales tipped more towards electric power generated from water, wind and solar than from fossil fuels and nuclear. This means that its … [continued]
Originally published on ABB. By Hannu Vaananen Europe needs to become more intelligent if it is to stop paying more than one billion USD every day for imported energy The share of imported energy in Europe is growing and every day it pays more than one billion USD for its energy … [continued]
Last week a major trading body, a group of 14 WTO members including the US, announced an initiative aimed at making a major change to environmental trade: “to negotiate a plurilateral deal that will eliminate tariffs on environmental products.” This “global free trade” would allow for easier exchange regarding trade of … [continued]
Various ministries of the Indian government are considering to impose anti-dumping duties on solar photovoltaic modules imported from the US, China, Malaysia, and Taiwan. The Commerce Ministry has undertaken a preliminary inquiry into the impact of large-scale import of solar modules on the domestic manufacturers. The Indian solar module manufacturers have been lobbying for anti-dumping duties on imported equipment … [continued]
The Sierra Club announced last week that it and 11 other organisations (listed below) had sent a letter to Ambassador Demetrios Marantis, acting US Trade Representative, expressing their growing concern regarding America’s legal intrusion into India’s national solar program. According to the Sierra Club, “the United States government is currently challenging domestic … [continued]
Massive Chinese government subsidies have led to equally massive overcapacity and Chinese manufacturers’ exports to the US, and that in turn’s led to a rising tide of US solar bankruptcies and downsizing at a critical juncture in the global industry’s development, US solar industry leaders and supporters testified. The Commerce Dept.’s much anticipated final determination on duties is right around the corner.
News of new unfair trade actions against China and Chinese PV manufacturers announced in the EU, US, and India add to the embattled industry’s woes, as well as international trade tensions and protectionism. Illegal subsidies petitions were filed in the EU; India’s PV manufacturers are lobbying to bring a WTO case; and two protectionist bills were introduced in the US Senate. […]
A European Commission decision to impose anti-dumping duties would pose significant problems for China’s silicon PV manufacturers, which now find themselves reeling from debt loads, a precipitous decline in prices (largely of their own making), and slowing demand as a result of the ongoing EU debt crisis and slow economic growth. […]
First Solar’s shifting its strategic focus toward supplying and building thin-film solar power projects in India, as PV cell and panel profit margins continue to be pressured and trade tensions escalate. The Tempe, Arizona thin-film market leader aims to capture 20% of the Indian solar PV market even as critics assert that US government export finance banks are providing low-interest loans to Indian solar power project developers that violate WTO rules on international trade. […]
Solar PV trade disputes between China and its main trading partners are escalating, as a group of German solar companies, led by SolarWorld AG, filed a WTO anti-dumping petition with the European Commission. The filing heightens tensions and divisions among industry participants, who have been put under increasing pressure as a result of a massive build-up in solar PV supply and manufacturing capacity, the bulk of which has come from China. […]
