Cheap Chinese solar panels are flooding the EU market and threatening the viability of homegrown companies. Europe's solar industry warns it faces an "existential threat" and that unless action is taken soon, it could collapse in a matter of months.
This balance is essential for the EU. Solar energy is one of the cheapest and easiest to install, so rapid deployment can make a difference in meeting climate targets. By 2030, 42.5% of all EU energy will have to come from renewable sources. Cheap Chinese solar panels are flooding the EU market and threatening the viability of homegrown companies.
Currently, solar panels manufactured in Europe account for only 3% of the market. However, SolarPower Europe believes that this could rise to 40% by 2030. The Chinese impact not only endangers companies but also hampers the bloc's industrial autonomy.
Tough tariffs against Chinese imports in the US means that most excess panels are shipped to Europe. Xuyang Dong of Climate Energy Finance, an Australian think-tank, said that “China’s estimated wafer, cell and module capacity that will come online in 2024 is sufficient to meet annual global demand now through to 2032.
An industry group is calling on the European Commission to introduce emergency measures, for example by stocking up on solar panels to ensure liquidity. They say the influx of China-made solar panels, whose price is artificially lowered through generous state aid, into the EU market is to blame for the critical situation.
Other firms, such as Solarwatt, have dismissed staff to cut down production costs. A solar module produced in China is about 50% cheaper than its European equivalent. The quality, experts say, is nevertheless comparable. The industry has therefore no choice but to innovate if it wants to survive.
China''s solar companies shine in Europe
Solar investment in China during the first four months of 2022 had also increased more than 200 percent year-on-year to $4.4 billion, while the country is expected to install up to 108 GW of solar power this year, nearly double the 54.88 GW deployed last year, according to the country''s National Energy Administration.
Learn More
EU launches 2 probes into China solar manufacturers
The EU has launched two investigations into Chinese solar panel manufacturers that Brussels said have benefited from market-distorting subsidies.
Learn More
China-EU green energy partnership drives sustainable ...
The 2021 report from the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU highlighted the impressive growth of China''s PV cells and modules industry over the past decade. With affordable prices and significant economies of scale, Chinese enterprises emerge as the prime choice to complement the EU industrial chain, meeting the region''s escalating ...
Learn More
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Beijing probes EU …
China''s Ministry of Commerce said it has launched a trade and investment barrier investigation into the European Union''s actions regarding Chinese enterprises under the EU Foreign Subsidies...
Learn More
EU launches 2 probes into China solar manufacturers
The EU has launched two investigations into Chinese solar panel manufacturers that Brussels said have benefited from market-distorting subsidies.
Learn More
EU Probes Chinese Solar Firms: Subsidy Law Test
The European Union has launched investigations into Chinese firms bidding for a Romanian solar park, in an effort to prevent state-funded companies from unfairly competing with EU rivals. The probes target ENEVO Group and LONGi Solar Technologie GmbH, as well as state-owned Shanghai Electric UK Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Electric Hong ...
Learn More
How China Came to Dominate the World in Solar Energy
With China''s economy stumbling, the ramped-up spending on renewable energy, mainly solar, is a cornerstone of a big bet on emerging technologies. China''s leaders say that a "new trio" of ...
Learn More
EU Probes Chinese Solar Firms: Subsidy Law Test
The European Union has launched investigations into Chinese firms bidding for a Romanian solar park, in an effort to prevent state-funded companies from unfairly competing …
Learn More
China s New Energy Enterprises Going Abroad Series: Sailing to …
sources such as wind and solar energy will accelerate the rapid development of the global energy storage market, with the installed capacity expected to increase by about 40% in 2024. 1. Persistent international instability is driving enterprises to seek alternative production solutions within the global industrial chain. Given the ever -changing international environment and the …
Learn More
Chinese competition poses ''existential threat'' to …
Cheap Chinese solar panels are flooding the EU market and threatening the viability of homegrown companies. Europe''s solar industry warns it faces an "existential threat" and that unless...
Learn More
Solar protective measures to hurt Sino-EU ties: China Daily editorial
China and the EU, as the world''s two major markets, should conduct negotiations to try to resolve their solar panel dispute in the spirit of maintaining an open, fair, just and nondiscriminatory ...
Learn More
EU-China business relations in geopolitical times
energy transition, such as solar panels and wind turbines. While currently around 70% of solar PV modules worldwide are pro- duced in China, the EU''s "Net-Zero Industry Act" proposes a target for the EU to produce 40% of the solar mod-ules and other products needed for Europe to reach its climate objectives by itself in 2030. For that purpose, the Commission proposed to allow EU ...
Learn More
Chinese Investment in the EU''s Energy Sector | SpringerLink
Chinese investment in Europe Footnote 1 has been growing rapidly in recent years, with less than $1 billion USD investment in 2000 compared to $18 billion USD recorded in 2014. Footnote 2 Cash-abundant Chinese companies have been investing across the European Union (EU) in a multitude of sectors, including real estate, energy, finance, industrial …
Learn More
Chinese solar firms hit by EU probes in new test of subsidy law
The European Union started probes into bids by Chinese firms for a Romanian solar park, in the latest test of a freshly minted law aimed at preventing state-funded companies from abusing their financial muscle to fend off EU rivals.
Learn More
EU''s protectionist moves against Chinese new energy companies …
Chinese manufacturers have responded strongly to EU''s escalated protectionist move targeting new energy-related products, including the latter''s probe into Chinese wind turbines and a solar...
Learn More
EU Launches Anti-Dumping Investigation into Solar Panel Imports from China
The European Commission launched an investigation on Thursday into suspected dumping of solar panels concerning imports into the European Union (EU) of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules and key components (i.e. cells and wafers), originating in China by Chinese producers, drawing a warning from China that restrictions on its exports would hurt …
Learn More
Chinese solar firms hit by EU probes in new test of subsidy law
The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU said it''s "gravely concerned about the consecutive in-depth investigations against Chinese enterprises" under the EU law. The way the regulation was framed places "undue burdens on enterprises but also potentially discriminate against Chinese enterprises," the group said.
Learn More
EU snubs dying solar manufacturers as China poised to
EU solar manufacturers have warned for months that they face an existential crisis with respect to China''s near-total dominance over global supply lines, which has caused a supply glut of dirt-cheap solar panels inside the bloc and left them unable to compete. In the coming week, companies are set to begin laying off the roughly 4,000 skilled ...
Learn More
Solar protective measures to hurt Sino-EU ties: China Daily editorial
China and the EU, as the world''s two major markets, should conduct negotiations to try to resolve their solar panel dispute in the spirit of maintaining an open, fair, …
Learn More
China-EU green energy partnership drives sustainable …
China''s green energy equipment manufacturing industry is well-established and competitive. Chinese solar products and wind turbines would be indispensible for EU to achieve its 2030 emission reduction targets, said Qin Yan, a lead analyst at Refinitiv and researcher at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
Learn More
China-EU green energy partnership drives sustainable ...
The 2021 report from the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU highlighted the impressive growth of China''s PV cells and modules industry over the past decade. With …
Learn More
