Back in 2013, the European Commission imposed certain restrictions on the import of solar photovoltaic panels, cells and wafers that were manufactured in China. This included limiting the numbers of such items coming into European Union countries as well as imposing a minimum price at which such things could be sold. This was to try to sort out a disagreement about solar panels being sold cheaply emanating from China.
The original restrictions expiry date was due to come to an end in December but there is still concern amongst solar panel manufacturers in Europe that such panels could be imported into the EU without any tariffs being imposed. The commission has therefore decided to extend the period of restrictions whilst it carries out a review into the situation. This is likely to result in things being extended for a minimum of 12 months.
Presumably China will not be very happy about such a decision so it will be interesting to see how they respond and what impact, if any, it has on its relationship with the European Union. It will also be of interest to observe how solar panel manufacturers in European Union countries respond to this announcement.
Apparently, there is an opinion being expressed by some that the restrictions are impacting on the price of solar panels in the likes of the UK. Following the above announcement, will this mean that the number of solar panel systems being sold drop and affect the country’s ability to meet its targets of reducing carbon emissions and hitting its renewable energy targets?
Let us hope that the solar industry manages to sort things out between European Union countries and China so that we can all move forward together and play our part in helping the environment. We will keep you up to date with any further developments in respect of the above.
