Global PV trade cases
Since a SolarWorld-led coalition filed an anti-dumping (AD) and anti-subsidy (CVD) complaint with the U.S. Department of Commerce in October of 2011, a host of trade cases have been instigated across the world. To help you navigate the topic, pv magazine has compiled a list of resources, conducted interviews and reported on the latest developments. Click on the following links to find out more.
Timelines
EU FAQs
Interviews
The analyst
"Antidumping duties do not change anything as far as the structural problem of small and medium-sized manufacturers are concerned."
Both companies and politicians are currently concerned with the question as to how duties will affect the market. Henning Wicht, director and analyst at IHS Global GmbH anticipates a scenario wherein prices for Chinese Tier 1 and Tier 2 modules will increase from €0.45 to €0.65 cents/W, with a decline of a gigawatt when it comes to installations in Germany.
The legal expert
"There are no automatic duties."
Christian Tietje, Professor for Commercial Law at the University of Halle: The idea behind mandatory registration is to prevent importers from warehousing Chinese commodities during the term of the investigation procedure in order to be able to then subsequently introduce them to the market without having to pay customs duties in the event of a decision in favor of antidumping duties.
Online news
EU plans provisional average AD duties of 47% on Chinese PV imports
EU commissioners today backed the EU trade chief Karel De Gucht’s proposal to impose provisional anti-dumping (AD) duties of an average 47% on Chinese photovoltaic imports as of June 6, an anonymous source close to the EC...
Germany: Slump in PV equipment sales
German PV equipment, machinery and component manufacturers had to make do with a decline of 50% in turnover in 2012 compared to the previous year. The German Engineering Foundation, VDMA, reported this downturn.
EU to propose anti-dumping duties of 30% or higher on Chinese PV imports
The EU trade chief is expected to propose anti-dumping (AD) duties on Chinese photovoltaic imports to the EU Commission on Wednesday. The levies are likely to be set at 30% or higher.
UK: STA adds voice to opposition to EU solar duties
The U.K.’s Solar Trade Association has added its voice to the opposition to EU Commission trade duties on Chinese solar modules.
US: DOC asks customs to review Chinese PV imports
Chinese solar manufacturers are misreporting and underreporting their imports to evade new tariffs, according to the Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing (CASM). It adds that the U.S. DOC has asked Customs and Border...
Executive panel discussion
Uros Merc, CEO of Bisol, a European PV manufacturer, discusses the EU trade case with Stuart Brannigan, VP of China-based LDK Solar, and Reza Shaybani, chairman of the British PV Industry Association in the video below:
Opinion
WTO delivers blow to PV domestic content proponents
May 13, 2013
The WTO’s recent ruling on Canada’s PV local content requirements could see the Ontario PV market become moribund within a few years, and have implications beyond Canada, writes Michael Barker, senior analyst NPD Solarbuzz.
European trade timing too late as globalization of PV enters new phase
May 7, 2013
With every passing day, the relevance of the European trade case against Chinese imports can be seen to diminish. What seemed a great idea when European PV demand was the major driver in global PV demand is now at risk of backfiring on the European PV industry and leaving it in a much harder position to regain its footing compared to emerging PV growth outside Europe, writes NPD Solarbuzz's Finlay Colville.
Europe and the U.S. still in potential oversupply
April 29, 2013
Michael Barker, senior analyst NPD Solarbuzz tells pv magazine why Western countries will remain within an oversupplied market, even after the trade case disputes have been solved.
European anti-dumping could revive domestic manufacturing, with some help from the Asians
April 24, 2013
As the clock ticks down on the preliminary judgement by the European Commission on any AD or CV duties on Chinese imports to the 27 EU member states, the discussion is perhaps incorrectly focussing on the impact of module price increases. Rather, the long-term question is really what will happen to PV manufacturing in Europe, the malaise of which prompted the filing in the first place, writes Finlay Colville, NPD Solarbuzz.
When will global PV demand be impacted by trade disputes and barriers?
April 15, 2013
To understand the potential scope of the current trade disputes and barriers, it is useful to examine exactly how much future demand may be impacted by current restrictions and investigations. While the broad impact of policies and disputes is well known throughout the industry, it is less clear just how far-reaching these actions could be in terms of impacting future PV market demand, writes Michael Barker, NPD Solarbuzz.
Anti-dumping debates forget validity of initial allegations
April 8, 2013
In reviewing the current discussions relating to the pending EU decision on anti-dumping and countervailing duties related to Chinese c-Si products imported to EU member states, it is often possible to lose track of what the initial charges were and what validity, if any, these have, writes Finlay Colville, NPD Solarbuzz.
PV trade actions: Simply another means of protecting domestic supply?
April 2, 2013
With the continued growth of trade disputes being reviewed today, the impact on PV industry players (both in the upstream and downstream channels) is expanding to more regions, writes NPD Solarbuzz's Michael Barker.
Scope, not timing, remains the key issue
March 25, 2013
While much of the focus is on the timing issues of the Europe-China anti-dumping investigations, it is the scope of any such actions that remains the key uncertainty for the industry as a whole, writes NPD Solarbuzz's Finlay Colville.