{"id":37459,"date":"2022-12-02T16:25:17","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T21:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=37459"},"modified":"2022-12-02T16:25:17","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T21:25:17","slug":"us-chinese-solar-doc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=37459","title":{"rendered":"The US just made a big decision about Chinese solar \u2013 here&#8217;s what it means"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"img-border featured-image\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/electrek.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/12\/pexels-photo-1599819.jpeg?quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1502\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/electrek.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/12\/pexels-photo-1599819.jpeg?w=320&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/electrek.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/12\/pexels-photo-1599819.jpeg?w=640&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/electrek.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/12\/pexels-photo-1599819.jpeg?w=1024&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/electrek.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/12\/pexels-photo-1599819.jpeg?w=1500&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 1500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/electrek.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/12\/pexels-photo-1599819.jpeg?w=2000&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/electrek.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/12\/pexels-photo-1599819.jpeg?w=2500&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 2500w\" width=\"1502\" height=\"1000\" alt=\"Chinese solar\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><br \/>\n\t<\/figure>\n<p>The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has determined that four out of eight Chinese solar companies that it\u2019s been investigating are \u201cattempting to bypass US duties by doing minor processing in one of the Southeast Asian countries before shipping to the United States.\u201d Here\u2019s what it means for the US solar industry. <\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-269664\"\/><ins class=\"adsbygoogle author_ad ad-container adsbygoogle author_ad hide-lg author-in-content\" data-ad-host=\"ca-host-pub-5506057612223327\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9817249230503449\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The DOC found that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commerce.gov\/news\/press-releases\/2022\/12\/department-commerce-issues-preliminary-determination-circumvention\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">four Chinese companies<\/a> that attempted to circumvent US duties by processing in Southeast Asia are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>BYD Hong Kong, in Cambodia<\/li>\n<li>Canadian Solar, in Thailand<\/li>\n<li>Trina, in Thailand<\/li>\n<li>Vina Solar, in Vietnam<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The DOC findings are preliminary, and the agency will conduct in-person audits in the coming months. The DOC also noted that a ban is not going to be implemented on products from Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\" readability=\"8\">\n<p>Companies in these countries will be permitted to certify that they are not circumventing the [antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders], in which case the circumvention findings will not apply.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The DOC also notes:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\" readability=\"12\">\n<p>Further, some companies in Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam did not respond to Commerce\u2019s request for information in this investigation, and consistent with longstanding practice, will be found to be circumventing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As <em>Electrek<\/em> reported in <a href=\"https:\/\/electrek.co\/2022\/05\/16\/us-solar-is-under-threat-from-a-doc-inquiry-but-the-commerce-secretary-wont-step-in\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mid-May<\/a>, the DOC launched an investigation of whether Southeast Asian solar cell manufacturers are using parts made in China that would normally be subject to a tariff.<\/p>\n<p>That investigation destabilized the US solar industry, which relies on solar module imports to meet growing demand.\u00a0The majority of the US solar industry then asserted that the DOC investigation would harm the US solar industry and wanted the investigation dismissed.<\/p>\n<p>On <a href=\"https:\/\/electrek.co\/2022\/06\/06\/biden-solar-tariffs-waiver\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">June 6<\/a>, President Joe Biden waived tariffs for 24 months on solar panels made in Southeast Asia in response to the investigation.\u00a0He also invoked the Defense Production Act to spur on US solar panel and other clean energy manufacturing. That way, domestic production could be sped up without interfering in the DOC investigation.<\/p>\n<p>The DOC today asserted that Biden\u2019s presidential proclamation provides US solar importers with \u201csufficient time to adjust supply chains and ensure that sourcing isn\u2019t occurring from companies found to be violating US law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), didn\u2019t see it that way. She said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seia.org\/news\/solar-and-storage-industry-responds-commerce-departments-preliminary-determination\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\" readability=\"15\">\n<p>The only good news here is that Commerce didn\u2019t target all imports from the subject countries. Nonetheless, this decision will strand billions of dollars\u2019 worth of American clean energy investments and result in the significant loss of good-paying, American, clean energy jobs. While President Biden was wise to provide a two-year window before the tariff implementation, that window is quickly closing, and two years is simply not enough time to establish manufacturing supply chains that will meet US solar\u00a0demand.<\/p>\n<p>This is a mistake we will have to deal with for the next several\u00a0years.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>George Hershman, CEO of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solvenergy.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SOLV Energy<\/a>, the US\u2019s largest utility-scale solar installer, also wasn\u2019t pleased about the DOC\u2019s announcement. He said in an emailed statement:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\" readability=\"14\">\n<p>After years of supply chain challenges and trade disruptions, I remain concerned that the Commerce Department chose a path that could jeopardize the solar industry\u2019s ability to hire more workers and construct the clean energy projects needed to meet our country\u2019s climate goals.<\/p>\n<p>The upside is that Commerce took a nuanced approach to exempt a number of manufacturers rather than issuing a blanket ban of all products from the targeted countries. While it\u2019s positive that companies will be able to access some of the crucial materials we need to deploy clean energy, it\u2019s still true that this ruling will\u00a0further constrict a challenged supply chain and undercut our ability to fulfill the promise of the Inflation Reduction Act.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Photo: Tom Fisk on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/aerial-photography-of-blue-solar-panels-1599819\/\">Pexels.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n<p><em>UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it\u2019s important to shop for the best quotes.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/understandsolarenergy.com\/form\/?lsid=511&amp;s1=%7Bs1%7D#step1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click here to learn more and get your quotes<\/a>. \u2014 *ad<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-disclaimer-container\" readability=\"6.3518518518519\">\n<p class=\"disclaimer-affiliate\"><em>FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/electrek.co\/about\/#affiliate\">More.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- post ad --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has determined that four out of eight Chinese solar companies that it\u2019s been investigating are \u201cattempting to bypass US duties by doing minor processing in one of the Southeast Asian countries before shipping to the United States.\u201d Here\u2019s what it means for the US solar industry. The DOC found [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-e-cars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}