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☆ Insight: US solar panel manufacturing boom threatened by cheap imports
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/5] Solar panels from SunPower are installed on residential buildings at a model home display in the Eureka Grove neighborhood of Granite Bay, California, U.S., October 5, 2021. But global solar panel prices have collapsed due to a wave of new Asian production capacity in recent months, leading many in the U.S. solar industry to worry many of these proposed factories may be uneconomical. U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that over-reliance on Chinese clean energy technology could pose a security risk similar to Europe's historical dependence on Russian natural gas. A White House spokesperson did not respond to questions about recent market challenges facing domestic solar manufacturers, but said Biden's policies had generated a huge wave of investment and were revitalizing American manufacturing. Mike Carr, executive director of the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America trade group, said factories could be delayed, extending U.S. dependence on China.

Persons: Nathan Frandino, Joe Biden’s, ”, Edurne Zoco, Wood Mackenzie, Mike Carr, ” Carr, Brian Lynch, Jekyll, Hyde, Lynch, Danny O'Brien, Meyer Burger, Hari Achuthan, Richard Valdmanis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, P, U.S . International Trade Commission, Companies, Reuters, Energy, Solar Energy Manufacturers, America, Insights, U.S . Commerce Department, Solar Energy Industries Association, Convalt Energy, Treasury Department, Commerce Department, Thomson Locations: Eureka Grove, Granite Bay , California, U.S, Europe, China, United States, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Mexico, Hanwha, Colorado, Asia, New York, Maine

☆ US solar power installations soar in Q1 on easing panel import gridlock
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mike Blake/File PhotoJune 8 (Reuters) - U.S. solar energy installations soared 47% in the first quarter, according to an industry report published on Thursday, as easing panel supplies alleviated industry gridlock and allowed many stalled big projects to be completed and connected to the grid. The solar industry had its best first quarter ever, installing 6.1 gigawatts (GW), an analysis by research firm Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) trade group found. As a result of the strong quarter, SEIA raised its forecast for the year slightly to 29 GW from 28.4 GW. The report said 12 GW of solar modules were imported in the first quarter compared with 29 GW in all of 2022. The industry, however, is seeing a slowdown in many states due to economic uncertainty, SEIA said, and residential solar installations are only expected to rise 8% this year.

Persons: Mike Blake, Wood Mackenzie, SEIA, Joe Biden's, Nichola, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Hanover Olympic, REUTERS, Solar Energy Industries Association, Homeowners, Thomson Locations: Hanover, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Florida, California

☆ Biden vetoes legislation to block solar panel tariffs waivers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 16 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he has vetoed legislation passed by the U.S. Congress that would repeal exemptions on American tariffs on imported solar panels from four Southeast Asian nations. Biden said the waivers will create a "bridge" while U.S. manufacturing ramps up enough to supply the domestic projects needed to achieve goals in fighting climate change. Top clean energy trade groups, whose members rely on cheap imports to keep their costs low, support the exemption and praised Biden's veto. Domestic solar manufacturers have said the tariffs are needed now to compete with cheap panels made overseas. Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said the legislation would have eliminated 30,000 jobs in the solar sector by stalling development.

The law is viewed as a watershed for domestic solar manufacturing, which has struggled for years to compete with a flood of cheap imports from China. Since passage of the IRA, companies have announced more than $13 billion in U.S. factory investments, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). According to Treasury's proposed guidelines, the manufactured products in a typical solar energy facility would include modules, trackers and inverters. But solar cells account for about 30% of the costs of the products that make up a solar facility, making them a large piece of the puzzle. The top solar trade group, Solar Energy Industries Association, had proposed that panels assembled in the United States should qualify for the credit regardless of where the cells inside them are produced.

☆ Is this solar panel American? Companies eyeing US subsidy await rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Solar panels are set up in the solar farm at the University of California, Merced, in Merced, California, U.S. August 17, 2022. Their main question: will solar panels qualify if they are assembled in the United States using components made overseas? In February, top U.S. solar manufacturer First Solar Inc (FSLR.O) said it would delay further expansion decisions until Treasury releases its guidelines. A manufacturing group, Solar Energy Manufacturers for America (SEMA), said both manufacturers and developers want clear rules that will fuel growth. A potential approach could be to allow the bonus credit to apply to domestically available goods, with that standard changing over a set timeline.

☆ US home solar installers brace for slowdown as California reform looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

California boasts 38% of the nation's residential solar capacity, buttressing the U.S. market's 40% surge in 2022, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association trade group. More than 1.5 million Golden State homes have solar, state data show. They and others have noted a spike in California installations this year as consumers scrambled to get systems connected before the policy change on April 15. California Solar & Storage Association Executive Director Bernadette Del Chiaro called the transition difficult. Residential solar installers are already grappling with higher interest rates that cut into the value of financed systems, and tighter available credit.

☆ Meet the One Planet Advisory Council, a group of sustainability leaders supporting Insider's special climate coverage
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Business Insider | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

InsiderInsider has convened an advisory council of experts to support our special climate coverage. It comprises leaders from Ford, BlocPower, BNP Paribas, Chisholm Legacy Project, the SEIA, and more. The advisory council is part of Insider's One Planet initiative, the optimist's destination for climate action. For more climate-action news, visit Insider's One Planet hub. At the center of the initiative is the One Planet Advisory Council, a group of sustainability and climate experts convened to offer industry insights and guidance on climate-action progress.

☆ U.S. to expand solar panel tariffs after probe finds Chinese evasion
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The announcement was welcomed by Auxin Solar, a small U.S. solar panel maker that requested the Commerce investigation in February. Producers including New East Solar, Hanwha Q CELLS, Jinko Solar (JKS.N) and Boviet Solar were found not to be dodging the tariffs, Commerce said. "The only good news here is that Commerce didn't target all imports from the subject countries," Abigail Ross Hopper, president of solar trade group the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), said in an emailed statement. Buyers of solar panels for both large utility projects and residential rooftops say new tariffs will worsen what is already a difficult market for accessing solar energy equipment. The mere threat of new tariffs on solar imports also contributed to a slowdown in project development this year, the industry has said.

☆ First Solar selects Alabama for new factory as Inflation Reduction Act prompts domestic manufacturing boom
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Pippa Stevens | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

First Solar said Wednesday that it has selected Alabama as the site for its fourth U.S. solar panel manufacturing facility, after the Inflation Reduction Act and its incentives for domestic manufacturing encouraged companies to onshore production. First Solar CEO Mark Widmar previously told CNBC that the Inflation Reduction Act was the key catalyst that led First Solar to choose the U.S. for its latest factory. The U.S. solar industry now stands at around 126.1 GW, which is enough to power 22 million homes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Shares of First Solar hit their highest level since April 2011 on Wednesday after the IRA reignited interest in renewable energy companies. Other solar companies, including SolarEdge and Enphase Energy , have said they are exploring manufacturing in the U.S. following the climate bill.

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