The development of over 10GW photovoltaic power plants is restricted

In recent years, the US trade protection tendency has become increasingly serious, and in the photovoltaic field, tariffs and other means have been frequently used to attack overseas photovoltaic companies. However, manufacturing trade barriers have not only failed to become an umbrella for the US photovoltaic industry, but have dragged down the country's own energy transformation.

According to the industry media "Photovoltaic Magazine", US photovoltaic manufacturers AuxinSolar and Suniva recently submitted a petition to the U.S. International Trade Commission, requesting the extension of the "201 tariff" imposed on imported solar cells and modules for 4 years. , Until February 2026. As soon as the news came out, it triggered heated discussions in the industry. The US Photovoltaic Industry Association SEIA pointed out sharply that the high tariff policy cannot promote the upgrading of domestic photovoltaic manufacturers in the United States to adapt to the global market competition. Excessive and inappropriate protection measures will cause negative effects instead.

The scope and types of implementation continue to expand

The United States has a long history of setting trade barriers to photovoltaic products. In 2011, the United States first carried out anti-dumping and countervailing anti-dumping investigations on solar cells and modules originating in China, and immediately required Chinese photovoltaic manufacturers to pay tax rates of 18.32%-249.96% for solar cells and modules exported to the United States. The dumping tax of the country, and the subsidy tax of 14.78%-15.97%.

Since then, the United States has repeatedly increased its suppression of imported photovoltaic products. In 2014, the United States carried out a "dual reverse" investigation on other cells and components other than the products involved in the "dual reverse" investigation in 2011, and expanded the scope of the investigation from China to other countries and regions. 26.71%-151.98% dumping tax and 27.64%-49.21% subsidy tax.

In 2018, the United States "increased its pace". SolarWorld and Sunvia, the US photovoltaic manufacturers, filed an application with the U.S. International Trade Commission. Starting from February of that year, a four-year "201 tariff" was imposed on all imported photovoltaic cells and modules. The annual tax rate is 30%, and it is superimposed on the original "double reverse" tax rate.

It is worth noting that the original 201 investigation exempted the levy of tariffs on double-sided modules (double-sided modules are currently the mainstream choice in the high-end photovoltaic market and are popular because they can achieve double-sided power generation-editor's note), but in September 2020 In September, the United States not only abolished tariff reductions on double-sided modules, but also raised the tariff rate on imported photovoltaic modules from 15% to 18% in 2021.

Now that the "201 tariff" is about to expire, AuxinSolar and Sunvia once again filed a complaint with the U.S. Trade Commission, requesting an extension of this policy for 4 years. In the latest petition submitted, AuxinSolar and Sunvia said without shame: “Due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the company has not completed the reform plan. At the same time, in order to strengthen the construction of the local photovoltaic industry chain, the ‘201 tariff’ needs to be extended.”

It is expected that the United States will make a decision on whether to extend the "201 tariff" before the end of this year.

Globalization strategy weakens the impact of trade barriers

In fact, the United States continues to increase tariffs on imported photovoltaic products, and it has no intention of suppressing overseas photovoltaic manufacturers and "escorting" the development of its local photovoltaic industry. However, in the view of Chinese photovoltaic companies, with the deepening of the globalization of corporate business, the impact of deliberate suppression by the United States has been greatly weakened.

A number of Chinese photovoltaic company executives told reporters that the United States has the highest tariffs on Chinese photovoltaic products, while the tariff rates on products produced in other parts of the world are relatively low. As Chinese photovoltaic companies continue to "go global" and build factories around the world, they have been able to respond well to the increasingly stringent tariff policies of the United States.

Niu Yanyan, general manager of Longji Leye Distributed, told reporters: “With the support of high electricity prices, the demand for distributed markets in Europe and the United States is strong and the driving force is relatively sufficient. The tariffs on products such as electronic appliances are ridiculously high, and the local market cannot accept this price. This requires us to deploy globally and build factories overseas to respond to various unexpected policies at any time."

According to the "2020-2021 Overseas Photovoltaic Market Development Report" issued by the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, in 2020, even under the influence of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the overseas production capacity of Chinese photovoltaic companies has achieved growth. At present, the overseas production capacity of Chinese photovoltaic companies are mainly concentrated in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. With their good investment environment, low labor costs, tax-free or low-tax export to the European and American markets, they have become first-line photovoltaic manufacturing. The best place for manufacturers to invest and build factories. In addition, the United States, South Africa and other places are also becoming popular places for Chinese photovoltaic companies to deploy global industrial chains.

The market struggles to speak with strength

An industry expert who participated in the research and formulation of energy policies told reporters: "The global demand for photovoltaic installations actually first appeared overseas. Chinese photovoltaic companies originally developed by relying on overseas markets. It can be said that the overseas construction of factories is the business of Chinese photovoltaic companies. One major feature. It would be too narrow to consider this behavior only in terms of avoiding international trade risks and reducing tariffs."

In his view, nowadays, the competitiveness of China's photovoltaic industry in the global market is obvious to all, and the positive impact it has brought to the development of the global photovoltaic industry is eye-catching. At the same time, in the context of globalization, it has become inevitable for Chinese companies to choose to build factories in Southeast Asia. In addition to the advantages of policy, cost, and environment, Southeast Asia has a larger radiation market and is a hot spot for the development of the photovoltaic industry, helping to promote the development of the global market.

According to the report of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, as of 2020, Chinese photovoltaic companies have overseas production capacity of more than 53 million kilowatts, including silicon wafer production capacity of 4.5 million kilowatts, solar cell production capacity of 19.6 million kilowatts, module production capacity of 23 million kilowatts and inverter production capacity 6 million kilowatts, effectively supporting domestic enterprises to expand overseas markets, and forming a resonance between domestic and overseas development.

In fact, whether it is "double reverse" or high tariffs, not only failed to stop the development of overseas photovoltaic companies, especially Chinese photovoltaic companies, but also caused the United States' own photovoltaic industry to collapse.

SEIA vice president John Smirnow said frankly that although the United States has set the goal of "reaching 50 million kilowatts of local photovoltaic capacity by 2030," this cannot be achieved through simple and ineffective trade policies. "Since the implementation of the '201 tariff', more than 10 million kilowatts of photovoltaic power plants in the United States have not been developed, reducing approximately 62,000 jobs. Today, both in the United States and the world, advanced photovoltaic technology is booming. If climate goals are to be achieved, the deployment of renewable energy must be accelerated, instead of impeding industrial development through unnecessary punitive measures. It is time to end the '201 tariff'."

At the same time, even if the United States continues to expand the scope of taxation and product categories, it has not been able to save local photovoltaic manufacturers. It is reported that SolarWorld, the first company that submitted the "201 investigation" application, has gone bankrupt.

Niu Yanyan believes that high tariffs are a problem that has existed in the past and is expected to exist in the future, or even become normal. "As long as Chinese products are competitive, even in the face of these constraints, the market will welcome us."