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Solar photovoltaic (PV) module imports into the United States have increased significantly in recent years and represent a sizable portion of installed solar capacity. In 2016, U.S. imports of solar modules measured in direct current (DC) totaled 13 gigawatts (GWDC)—up from 2 GWDC in 2010—with two-thirds of 2016 imports coming from Malaysia, China, and South Korea. … [Read more...]
With President Trump’s announcement this week to slap a 30 percent tariff on imported solar cells and modules, the solar industry once again finds itself in the firing line, targeted by the political whims of elected officials. … [Read more...]
The administration's decision on whether to impose a tariff or other fee on US imports of solar equipment from China raises serious concerns. The right choice in this case is less obvious than suggested by the jobs and free-trade arguments from the main US solar trade association (SEIA) or the Wall St. Journal's editorial page. Solar power generates less than 2% of US electricity today. … [Read more...]
After a banner year for solar power installation in the United States, reports on the progress of solar power in the first quarter of 2017 have industry advocates hopeful that renewable energy will continue to grow throughout the year, despite competition from fossil fuels, U.S. government support for traditional energy sources and resistance towards cheap imported solar panels by domestic manufacturers. … [Read more...]
Authors: Ian Bolliger is pursuing an MS in Systems Engineering and a PhD in Energy and Resources at the University of California, Berkeley. His interest is in cyberphysical approaches to improving the efficiency and management of energy and water systems in order to help these systems mitigate and adapt to climate change. Link: https://erg.berkeley.edu/people/bolliger-ian/ Jiayi Chen is a Master student in Management Science and … [Read more...]
Dazzle Solar.Solar is taking over the Gobi Desert in China’s Gansu province.China is a difficult solar market to track from the outside. Government subsidies are opaque and bureaucratic, interconnection problems run rampant, and non-Chinese businesses often have a hard time getting into the country.There's no doubt that the Chinese PV market is growing at unprecedented speed. But determining its overall health is more of an art than a science.So … [Read more...]
Conergy’s new CEO: “In this YieldCo-crazed environment, I have no problem selling projects.”Until a few years ago, Conergy was a healthy integrated German solar company building solar modules, racking and inverters, as well as developing PV projects.But Conergy's ascendance was occurring about the same time that China was orchestrating its move into modules and inverters, making that business less rewarding from both a money-making and an … [Read more...]
Hanergy chief exec: “No one else can do what we do with solar power embedded in glass windows.”Li Hejun, the rags-to-riches billionaire CEO of China's Hanergy, has suggested that his firm will be a global leader in solar technology. But reports on the company in a recent Financial Times article indicate some extremely enthusiastic accounting practices -- and some signs of desperation.In 2012, Hanergy, the owner of gigawatts' worth of hydropower, … [Read more...]
HighlightsSolar PV is the flagship technology of the distributed energy philosophy due to its modular nature and low maintenance requirements.However, distributed PV has numerous disadvantages relative to utility-scale PV:Higher installation costsLower capacity factorsPower density limitationsThe potential for distributed PV to displace conventional generation, transmission and distribution capacity is also limited by several … [Read more...]
Here's a roundup of SolarWorld's tumultuous summer.Winning trade battlesIn June, the Department of Commerce found in favor of petitioner SolarWorld in that company's trade case against Chinese solar module makers. The preliminary decision imposed significant tariffs on Chinese solar modules in the anti-dumping portion of this case. The decision also closed what SolarWorld called a "loophole" which allowed Chinese module manufacturers to use … [Read more...]
SolarWorld may have won another trade case, but it's not exactly happy.Late last month, the Commerce Department issued a preliminary ruling in SolarWorld's anti-dumping case against Chinese solar producers. The government will slap large tariffs on Chinese suppliers, effective immediately, which could raise the price of modules shipped into the U.S. by up to 20 percent.But rather than celebrate, SolarWorld is getting angry at the organization … [Read more...]
The Department of Commerce has again found for the petitioner, SolarWorld, in its Chinese solar module trade case. The preliminary decision imposes significant tariffs on Chinese solar modules in the anti-dumping portion of this case.The decision also closes what SolarWorld called a "loophole" that allowed Chinese module manufacturers to use Taiwanese cells in their modules and circumvent U.S. trade duties.SolarWorld has prevailed at pretty much … [Read more...]
The Department of Commerce found for the petitioner, SolarWorld, and levied substantial tariffs in its just-announced preliminary finding in the Chinese solar module trade investigation.Commerce found for the petitioner and imposed preliminary duties of 35.21 percent on imports of solar panels made by Suntech, 18.56 percent on imports of Trina Solar and 26.89 percent on imports of most other Chinese producers. Anti-dumping decisions still remain … [Read more...]
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