A House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing this week on climate change discusses the prevalence of green finance. And a growing distrust over China’s commitments and its solar supply chain, especially in Xinjiang.
What appears to be a coordinated strategy between China and importers of their solar panels is taking place at the moment, trying to convince Washington to let tariffs expire next year and stop any potential dumping investigation into Southeast Asia’s newfound love for solar panel manufacturing.
Domestic solar manufacturers are staging a comeback. Here’s a look at what tariffs have meant for investment in this space, and a looming threat ahead that could undermine all of it.
Thanks to currencies worth peanuts, and weak environmental rules, China has turned three SE Asian nations into their solar-making vassal states. The 20% tariff against them is not enough. Here’s what Washington needs to do if it wants a domestic solar industry.
Customs makes good on its promise to root out imported solar cells and panels believed to have been made from polysilicon produced by Hoshine Silicon Industry, banned from the U.S. solar supply chain this summer.
China polysilicon makers get put on the Entity List as one producer is prohibited from selling to the U.S. That means companies that rely on them for their solar supply chain are subject to import bans.
Looks like the solar importers were wrong about a demand drop due to tariffs. We didn’t think they would be. There is room for both, but domestic supply chains should be revved up to support public power stations.