A brand new resolution by the US authorities is a mistake that the photo voltaic business should face within the subsequent few years, in accordance with a CEO of a photo voltaic commerce group.
From pv journal USA
The US Division of Commerce has issued a preliminary willpower alleging that some firms in Southeast Asia are evading anti-dumping/countervailing duties (AD/CVD) imposed on Chinese language photo voltaic merchandise.
The ruling is in response to an AD/CVD case filed in February by Auxin Photo voltaic, a small panel assembler within the US, towards Malaysia, Thailand, and now Cambodia. The submitting got here simply months after the Division of Commerce threw out an earlier comparable request of an unidentified group of photo voltaic firms searching for tariffs on some firms that import modules. About 80% of US crystalline-silicon modules are shipped from Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand. Auxin Photo voltaic claims that Chinese language producers have been sending cells to those nations to keep away from paying tariffs which have been in place since 2012.
“We’re clearly disillusioned that commerce has chosen to exceed its authorized authority. As a primary reality, the manufacture of photo voltaic cells and modules considerably exceeds the restrict of ‘minor or insignificant processing’ of the anticircumvention statute,” stated Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Photo voltaic Power Industries Affiliation (SEIA).
On the time of the submitting, SEIA estimated that the implementation of the AD/CV tariffs would outcome within the lack of 16 GW of latest photo voltaic installations, a determine that represents greater than half of what’s put in in america in final 12 months. Along with challenge delays and cancellations, SEIA estimates that the applied tariffs might put 70,000 US photo voltaic jobs in danger.
Hopper stated the one excellent news in regards to the announcement is that the Commerce Division isn’t concentrating on all imports from the topic nations.
“Nevertheless, this resolution will strand billions of {dollars} value of American clear vitality investments and outcome within the important lack of good-paying American clear vitality jobs,” he stated. . “Whereas President Biden was clever to supply a two-year window earlier than implementing tariffs, that window is closing shortly, and two years isn’t sufficient time to construct manufacturing provide chains that may reply of US photo voltaic demand.”
Michael Parr, govt director of the Extremely Low-Carbon Photo voltaic Alliance, stated the choice makes it clear that the photo voltaic provide chain is severely challenged.
“We have to speed up funding in photo voltaic manufacturing in low-carbon economies to construct a greater photo voltaic provide chain,” he stated. “PV patrons comparable to Lightsource bp, DE Shaw Renewable Investments and Silicon Ranch display the necessary position patrons play in facilitating the development of this extra numerous, sustainable photo voltaic provide chain. Consumers can ship a powerful sign to the market by long-term provide agreements with low-carbon producers to assist guarantee the event of sturdy PV manufacturing capability for the longer term.
A latest report by the Nationwide Renewable Power Laboratory confirmed that costs rose throughout the US financial system between the primary quarter of 2021 and the primary quarter of this 12 months resulting from disruptions together with the submitting of AD/ CVD. Studies from the US Power Info Administration present that whereas builders plan to put in 17.8 GW within the first half of 2022, solely 4.2 GW have been put in and introduced on-line – pointing to module provide challenges, which led to cancellations and delays.
“It is a mistake we’ll must take care of for years to come back,” Hopper concluded.
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