In recent years, when my country's new energy is developing rapidly and occupying a key position in the global industrial chain supply chain, mainstream markets such as Europe and the United States have implemented a series of targeted trade restriction measures and vigorously promoted policies to support the development of local new energy manufacturing industries. As a result, a tug-of-war in the global new energy supply chain has been formed.

this week, the photovoltaic industry, which has attracted much attention in the field of new energy, has another major event. From the intensive policies introduced by the European Union to the tariff measures that the United States is rumored to have a high probability of landing, the situation has become more and more tense.

EU frequently launched PV upstream and downstream support policy

"The amazing development of solar PV over the past two years shows that this technology has become at the heart of the energy transition and that it is a reliable means for us to accelerate the electrification of the energy system. However, the current state of PV manufacturing in the EU has cast a shadow over this bright future." Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy, spoke at the signing ceremony of the European Solar Charter. Reflected in the speech's Great Expectation for the Future of Photovoltaic Power Generation and the Current Dilemma of EU Photovoltaic Manufacturing Industry, it is the EU PV developmentthe epitome of the "dilemma" is also the main background for the EU to introduce policies or sign relevant agreements recently.

, the energy ministers of 23 EU member states, including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain and other countries, and about 100 representatives from the European solar industry signed the European Solar Charter in Brussels.(hereinafter referred to as the Charter). While the main elements of the Charter are positioned as non-coercive voluntary action, as its body emphasizes, the relevant provisions are not only"immediate actions to be taken by the European Commission, Member States and representatives of the solar PV industry", and in particular in the "areas of wholesale, distribution and manufacturing of components" to ensure "full compliance with EU competition law and state aid rules". In addition, many of the provisions of the Charter are also related to the EU's Foreign Subsidies Regulations, the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), etc., and the European Commission will regularly review the implementation of the commitments that have been adopted. Various factors may make this voluntary agreement more influential.

specifically look at the content of the Charter, just as the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (SPE) as defined by, primarilya series of commitments from the EU, governments and industry to support the European solar PV manufacturing industry. In terms of EU countries and industries, the main contents includesix commitments such as "promoting the flexible supply of high-quality and sustainable solar photovoltaic products in Europe" and "supporting new investment in the solar supply chain". Among them, "non-price standard", "flexibility", "sustainability", "responsible business behavior" and "innovative business model" have become key words that have appeared many times. Combined with the requirements of "ensuring the full implementation of the relevant provisions of the Foreign Subsidies Regulations" in the Charter, and the several countervailing investigations carried out on China's photovoltaic and other new energy enterprises after the actual implementation of the Foreign Subsidies Regulations (the EU launched a countervailing investigation against China's photovoltaic, involving Longji Green Energy and Shanghai Electric), it is not difficult to see that the EU has made rules on bidding, public procurement, investment and financing, by restricting external enterprises, product access qualifications and other ways, to play a systematic local support measures "combination fist".

and in relation to the Commission's own actions, the Charter sets outten action plans, such as "supporting local photovoltaic manufacturing in Europe through various funds" and "strengthening support for investment in the solar manufacturing value chain in cooperation with the European Investment Bank, it also involves" supporting member states to incorporate transparent, non-discriminatory and objective non-price criteria into renewable energy auctions, public procurement and other innovative initiatives to promote the development of solar photovoltaics "and" evaluating all evidence of alleged unfair practices presented by the industry or other independent sources.

In general, the main text of the Charter pays more attention to how to support the development of local enterprises, and does not directly involve the implementation of stricter trade restrictions on Chinese enterprises and products. At a time when the differences between my country and Europe and the United States in the field of new energy manufacturing are becoming more prominent, the Charter is also regarded as relative"moderate". But as a series of elements listed above,the increasingly stringent, more systematic and more precise restrictions on Chinese enterprises and products contained in it should not be underestimated.. In fact, in the relevant press release of the European Commission, a lot of ink was still spent onon issues such as "97% of photovoltaic cells imported by the EU come from China" and "European photovoltaic modules are highly dependent on products imported from China, which brings risks to the elasticity of the value chain", EU internal market Commissioner Thierry Breton (Thierry Breton), who has always advocated strengthening restrictions on Chinese products, has also expressed his support for the Charter before and believes that the EU needs to pay more attention to market distortions, especially the market-distorting trade policies created by China. Media Euractiv focused on EU policy have also reported that the Charter's "assessment of all evidence of suspected unfair practices presented by industry or other independent sources" will be particularly supported by Breton, who has announced several investigations into Chinese new energy companies.

The EU has also recently adopted or implemented a number of policies involving photovoltaics, the more representative of which includeBuilding Energy Performance Directive (EPBD), according to this policy, from 2030 onwards, all new residential buildings within the EU member states will be powered by rooftop solar energy.. In addition, in this yearapproved by the EU Council in MarchCorporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), also related to the PV industry, this bill is seen as the EUESG and supply chain, which involveright"Obligations of liability for negative human rights and environmental impacts arising from activities carried out by enterprises, relevant subsidiary activities and business partners in their value chains". Titanium MediaAPP has previously explained in detail in the article the "green threshold" and "blue barrier" in the new energy field represented by photovoltaic, wind power and electric vehicles in Europe and the United States (the "double reverse" storm in Europe and the United States is rising again, the means are upgraded, and the new energy manufacturing may be caught in a tug-of-war). CSDDD can also be regarded as one of the measures to strengthen the EU's relevant supply chain review and trade restrictions. According to the process, the European Parliament will vote on the CSDDD in plenary on April 24. If it is passed, the bill is expected to enter the implementation phase in 2026.

The United States intends to withdraw the two-year tariff exemption for photovoltaic double-sided modules.

EU policies, attitudesis "moderate", perhaps also relative to the United States. Recently, the United States has mentioned the problem of overcapacity in China, including the new energy industry, several times. In the discussion and practice, curbing Chinese products and supporting local manufacturing have increasingly become "partners".

in Beijing time., Reuters released an exclusive report saying that according to two sources familiar with the White House plan,expects Biden administration to approve South Korea PV companiesQcells (Hanwha) application to revoke the two-year import tariff exemption for China and other countries in the field of photovoltaic double-sided modules, after the news broke, the U.S. PV sector rose in response, with leading stocksFirst Solar shares closed up nearly 3% to $178.01 per share.

According to the above report, Hanwha Yufiled a formal petition with the United States Trade Representative, which referred to the status quo of double-sided components (bifacial panels) accounted for 98% of imported components, and the judgment that the surge in imports would hinder the development of domestic manufacturing in the United States, and made the above-mentioned application for the cancellation of the trade exemption. in addition,First Solar and Heliene, signed a letter of support in support of Hanwha's claim.. It is reported that the total investment of relevant manufacturers in the field of photovoltaic manufacturing in the United States has reached billions of dollars, and Hanwha has built two photovoltaic manufacturing bases in Georgia, the United States. It is one of the largest photovoltaic manufacturers in the United States and has also promised to invest.$2.5 billion continues to lay out the U.S. production line.

the United States fromthe beginning of the "dual anti-dumping" investigation on my country's photovoltaics in 2011, anti-dumping, countervailing and even anti-circumvention trade restrictions have been uninterrupted. However, since the Trump administration imposed 201 tariffs on photovoltaic cells and modules in January 2018, double-sided modules, which accounted for a small proportion of the installed capacity at that time, have been excluded. Since then, the relevant exemption has been extended several times. The latest exemption mentioned in the Reuters report originated from Biden's tariff policy announced in 2022, which is exactly two years this year. related reports quoted sources as saying,the White House has not yet set a timetable for the resumption of tariffs..

In addition, it is worth noting that the samein place in 2022, and the U.S. anti-circumvention tariffs on the four Southeast Asian countries are set to expire this year. In March 2022, some enterprises complained that most of the photovoltaic modules exported from Southeast Asia to the United States came from Chinese manufacturers, and the use of Chinese raw materials was a production transfer behavior of Chinese enterprises to avoid the "double reverse" of the United States,After receiving the complaint, the US Department of Commerce launched an anti-circumvention investigation on photovoltaic products imported from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia., due to the heavy reliance on Southeast Asian products for photovoltaic installations in the United States, this investigation had a significant negative impact in the industry, resulting in a tight supply problem in the U.S. photovoltaic market.,Biden administration announces grant to PV modules imported from four Southeast Asian countries24 months of tariff exemption. And arrivedthis year., this waiver officially expired., many views believe that this tariff will be substantially implemented, and the production capacity of Chinese enterprises in Southeast Asia will also be affected.

, however, it should also be noted that while the United States continues to increase import trade restrictions, the development speed of its local manufacturing industry is still uncertain. Asthe end of 2023, the U.S. local PV module production capacity rose to about 13GW level, although a record annual growth rate of 60%, but still difficult to meet local installed demand. Although the domestic photovoltaic modules in the United States are expected to increase to about 120GW in 2026, taking into account the capacity under construction, announced capacity and planned expansion capacity, according to Wood's Mackenzie forecast, considering a series of factors such as supply chain, investment and financing, industrial worker reserve and market risks, only 48% of the capacity may actually land at that time. Especially in the current period of capacity climbing, blocking import channels through strict restrictions is likely to have a negative impact on the overall development of the US photovoltaic industry. Unlike manufacturers who are worried about external products squeezing their own market space, many power plant developers and investors in the United States have been calling for the reduction of trade barriers and the reduction of photovoltaic power generation costs through Asian products with greater price advantages. The U.S. Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) also holds a more neutral attitude, advocating an increase in the number of photovoltaic cells imported duty-free (there is currently almost no photovoltaic cell capacity in the United States) to help local manufacturers produce photovoltaic modules. However, at least for now, the idea of increasing trade restrictions has received more attention. In Georgia, an important battlefield in the election this year, a bipartisan Senate panel led by two Democrats asked the Biden government to impose photovoltaic tariffs to avoid The problem of oversupply in the market (which involves the so-called impact of my country's excess capacity on the market, etc.), u.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen and Trade Representative Dai Qi have also recently talked about implementing trade remedies to deal with the threat of China's new energy products.

in fact, if you look at the recent news list of foreign media related to China, you can feel the trade field.: The United States launched a 301 investigation into China's maritime, logistics and shipbuilding industries, Biden called for higher tariffs on Chinese steel, the U.S. Trade Representative called for action to protect the electric vehicle industry from Chinese influence, the French Finance Minister said that Europe must compete with China to defend industrial interests ...... In the photovoltaic sector, mainstream markets such as India and Australia have recently introduced their own energy sector or manufacturing subsidy bills, it seems that the global new energy manufacturing competition is becoming more and more intense.