May 2: Twenty-two senators today issued a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to speed up the DOC investigation into solar panels and cells imported from Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. The bipartisan group wrote: Starting this research is already causing a huge upheaval in the solar industry and will seriously hurt US solar companies and workers and increase costs for American families as it continues. We strongly urge your management to quickly reconsider the case and make a speedy preliminary decision. Such a decision should carefully consider the significant implications of the policy and reject the petitioner’s request for retroactivity. The full letter can be read here. April 27: According to a new analysis, conducted last week and released today by the Association of Solar Energy Industries (SEIA), the forecasts for the installation of solar energy for 2022 and 2023 are reduced by 46% due to the DOC survey. The hypothesis will lead to a 24 gigawatt (GW) drop in planned solar power over the next two years, which is more solar energy than the industry installed throughout 2021. SEIA has also collected more than 700 survey responses to capture project-level data and the impact companies are feeling. Four-fifths of those surveyed – 83% – who buy or use photovoltaic cells reported cancellation or delay in supplying units. 318 utility scale projects corresponding to 51 GW of solar capacity and 6 GWh of connected battery storage are canceled or delayed. They are investing $ 52 billion in utility scales. SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper said: This case destroys clean energy and unnecessarily destroys American companies and workers in its path.

He tries to help the US solar industry, but instead it hurts

April 5: DOC research into crystalline silicon (CSPV) photovoltaic cell assembly in four Southeast Asian countries could take up to a year, with suppliers saying they may suspend shipments from those countries to the US until it is issued final decision. Auxin Solar, a California-based solar panel maker whose website is said to be the “longest-lived maker of CSPVs in the US,” asked the US Department of Commerce in February to conduct an anti-dumping investigation into solar cell by Malaysia. , Thailand and Vietnam.
Auxin claims that tariffs on solar energy imports will boost domestic production. However, the majority of US solar companies, as well as SEIA, oppose this research because the US is dependent on solar module imports to meet growing demand. So SEIA conducted a survey of solar companies to measure the impact of DOC research on their businesses. From 8 a.m. ET today, 74% of the 200 companies surveyed reported that deliveries of their panels had already been canceled or delayed. According to SEIA, 84% of all US solar module imports come from the four countries under consideration and there is not enough non-Chinese capacity elsewhere to feed US demand economically. In addition, all the solar companies involved in the survey expected losses across the value chain and 100% of domestic manufacturers in particular expect that the survey in Southeast Asia will have a serious or catastrophic impact. The results of this research come as the industry faces unprecedented challenges in the supply chain and price increases. In 2021, the cost of solar equipment increased by 18% and the threat of previous commercial actions caused delays and cancellations of projects, according to a report published by SEIA and Wood Mackenzie. A later report by Wood Mackenzie found that bypass requests could eliminate 16 gigawatts of panels from the US supply chain, which is two-thirds of all panels installed by the US in 2021. SEIA estimates that as a result of this report, the solar industry will lose 70,000 of its 231,000 jobs. Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO of SEIA, said today in a statement sent via email: We urge management to expedite this investigation and to put an end to this unnecessary barrier to clean energy in our future. We have said that tariffs are not the right way to motivate construction and that it will take time and policy commitment to bring production to the United States on the scale it needs. The countries mentioned in the report have been reliable trading partners and we need their products, at least in the short term, as we strive to build a lasting and strong manufacturing presence here in America.

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This DOC scan is well-intentioned and has not been performed correctly. US tariffs on overseas products are not going to work if enough of these products to cater to demand are not produced domestically. It’s great that Auxin Solar makes CSPV cells, but can it do enough for any solar company in the US that needs them? The construction of solar cells and panels in the US needs to start, but it is an important and significant business that will take years to establish. And as a result, the much-needed growth of the solar industry could be halted and then lost. The Biden government needs to rethink this research as it launches its own climate change goals and brings the vital solar industry to its knees. Read more: Wind, solar, electric vehicles can prevent catastrophic climate change, new IPCC report says UnderstandSolar is a free service that connects you to the top solar installers in your area for personalized solar energy estimates. Tesla is now offering price matching, so it is important that you shop for the best deals. Click here to learn more and receive your offers. – *One D. FTC: We use affiliate links that automatically generate revenue. More. Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.