Comments on: SEIA says industry could lose 18 GW of solar deployment if further AD/CVD action is taken

By: Craig Pals, Tick Tock Energy, Inc.

Craig Pals, Tick Tock Energy, Inc. — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 23:30:45 +0000

When the industry was young around 2005 to 2007 the message from SEIA (particulary from Rhone Resch at that time) was heavy on made in USA and growing a domestic solar manufacturing. As the industry got its legs that emphasis faded. Over my 30 year career I’ve seen results of many bad trade deals touted by so many politicians as good. We’ve seen massive offshoring of domestic manufacturing, and exploding trade and federal government trade deficits. President Trump was the first politician in my adult life to finally speak out on this issue and attempt to address this (unlike lip service of so many others).

There is a massive energy expenditure by shuttering local manufacturing, disrupting families and communities, re-building new manufacturing in foreign countries, powering those factories with less efficient and dirtier power resources, packing products on ships and transporting across oceans in vessels that burn dirty fuel oil, and then finally by truck on our crowded freeways and interstates. It would be interesting to know the amount of energy expenditure over the past 30 years due to the offshoring of a major portion of the U.S. manufacturing sector. I wonder how many GigaWatts of new solar capacity is required just to offset. We’ve built this fragile supply chain and pay the price for this in more ways than one, and will for years to come, until we prioritize re-localizing.

We need a robust solar panel manufacturing sector in this country and should prioritize. If industry growth needs to slow a bit while it recalibrates a strong domestic solar panel manufacturing base then we should find solutions for this with least disruption as possible. It’s what we need to do to avoid more likely disruption from other future events and geopolitics.

By: Cory Vanderpool

Cory Vanderpool — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 02:18:14 +0000

Great piece on helping shed some light on how one person‘s great idea that seems like it’s going to help a few people can actually have a drastically negative impact on a much larger group. Well American solar manufacturers could seemingly benefit from this a very small percentage of American installed solar come from American solar panels. The shines a light on the need to not cripple the solar industry with unneeded tariffs and fees. Thanks for writing!

By: Douglas Ahlfeld, Senior Project Manager Renewable Energy Systems

Douglas Ahlfeld, Senior Project Manager Renewable Energy Systems — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 17:58:52 +0000

The attempt to “catch” China in the solar business by mandating US panels is 20 years too late. Even U.S. made panels have Chinese cells, because we have not invested in the required robotics to make the cells. Germany is well ahead of the U.S. and India is catching up quickly.
Until you have a Congress willing to commit to renewables and invest in the R&D, tax credits and training, then we are the mouse in the wheel.
We buy billions of dollars of other products from many other countries. Let’s incentivize U.S. consumers to install solar and train our U.S. citizens to install the products. Half the cost of an installation is in labor and other associated materials which can come from the U.S.
Half is better than none. With these tariffs, there will be none.

By: Frank Baudanza

Frank Baudanza — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 17:48:33 +0000

I think it is embarrassment and a disgrace that the solar panel manufacturers in the US shut down and set up manufacturing in China. I think there should be a tariff of imported solar products so we could have US made again.

By: Solarman

Solarman — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 23:49:48 +0000

“The petitions now before the Department of Commerce would create 50% to 250% taxes on imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) panels and cells from Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. The petitioners allege some companies are avoiding anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duties (CVD) imposed on China in 2012. The three targeted countries account for 80% of all panel imports to the United States.”

HOW arrogant, that these entities actually “think” import taxes of foreign products makes ANY difference when China can still choose to subsidize the solar PV industry and the satellite manufacturing facilities in other countries. The U.S. represents a population of about 330 million, maybe less with the overall effects of Covid-19, keep in mind as Hospital ICUs fill those with conditions like Cancer, heart, and pulmonary disease are being turned away from emergency care and these folks are statistics that are not tallied with the Covid-19 deaths. At that China doesn’t need the U.S. to sell product to and as of now, France might just buy any wind turbines and solar PV panels cheap from China instead of their old trading partner the U.S., it figures France is of the mind that the U.S. owes France about $65 billion plus interest over the Submarine program steal.

This is where geopolitics and country mandates flail at each other dismally to probably create the advancement of “nothing” over hurt feelings and lost contracts. The children are fighting on the playground once again and are fighting for supremacy on top of the “monkey bars”.