Comments on: Here are all the expected testimonies for Wednesday’s ITC hearing on solar panel tariff extension https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/11/here-are-all-the-expected-testimonies-for-wednesdays-itc-hearing-on-solar-panel-tariff-extension/ Covering the world of solar power technology, development and installation. Sat, 06 Nov 2021 01:46:24 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2 By: Thanh pham https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/11/here-are-all-the-expected-testimonies-for-wednesdays-itc-hearing-on-solar-panel-tariff-extension/#comment-117782 Sat, 06 Nov 2021 01:46:24 +0000 https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/?p=96442#comment-117782 Kelly, this is an excellent summary article. Continue your excellent reporting.

All the best,
Frank Pham
Aptos Solar, CEO and Co-Founder

]]> By: Solarman https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/11/here-are-all-the-expected-testimonies-for-wednesdays-itc-hearing-on-solar-panel-tariff-extension/#comment-117349 Wed, 03 Nov 2021 22:44:01 +0000 https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/?p=96442#comment-117349 After the 2018 201 tariffs were implemented, the two companies that filed their brief for 201 tariff protections still went bankrupt, so, what was the point? When tariffs hit some of the smart solar PV installation companies already had solar PV panels in stock and were still able to service their clients with new installs at lower rates. When these stocks ran out curtailment of solar PV projects started to fall drastically and many installation and ancillary jobs were lost due to the hesitancy of panel and BOM cost increases. SEIA figured at one time around 200,000 solar PV jobs were lost. So, trying to protect two companies and save maybe 5,000 manufacturing jobs brought tariffs that increased the cost of solar PV installations that force a RIF of about 200,000 employees. A 40 to 1 job loss. With the job loss comes less taxable income from a laid off workforce and more claims of unemployment filed while this “plan” either runs out or is revoked. None of the tariffs addressed the supply chain of materials to components to finished product, China still owns the largest solar PV wafer foundries in the World. The bottom line is China has the supply chain established, the manufacturing capability in China as well as in other countries around the World and in China alone there are 1.5 billion potential customers and growing. India has 1.4 billion customers and has been fighting with China over their “panel dumping” program since around 2003. Yet, India is just (now) beginning to attract investors and are beginning to build solar PV manufacturing lines within India’s borders.

After about 4 years of tariff “protectionism” manufacturing of solar PV and the supply chain has not particularly exploded or even grown to an effective production point as to even “threaten” China with loss of manufacture and export of solar PV technology. IF there are no more imaginative solar PV manufacturer types left in the U.S., then China has the advantage and will continue to rule the sector. The U.S. solar PV manufacturers need to cut out the energy middleman, use solar PV to manufacture solar PV, this is from the ‘sand’ to wafer to finished solar PV panel.

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