Tariffs on photo voltaic glass hurt the European photo voltaic trade. This drawback can now be simply solved with out jeopardizing the European photo voltaic glass manufacturing.
We face an absurd state of affairs. To guard the very small European photo voltaic glass trade, the EU Fee launched import tariffs on photo voltaic glass a few years in the past. These tariffs end in European module producers being uncompetitive, regardless of with the ability to procure very cheap photo voltaic cells from China for his or her modules. Some module producers are on short-time work. Meyer Burger has closed its module manufacturing, and at present a number of thousand jobs are at stake.
Thus, tariffs are dangerous. But, what’s the absurd response? To guard the module producers, there are recurring issues to introduce Europe-wide tariffs on Chinese language module imports. A vicious cycle! This may endanger a whole lot of 1000’s of jobs within the European photo voltaic trade to save lots of a number of hundred within the tiny photo voltaic glass trade.
Thus far, the reintroduction of tariffs on modules has been prevented. As a result of tariffs on Chinese language modules can be a catastrophe for local weather safety in Europe, which is why the EU Fee has rightly hesitated thus far. Nonetheless, the state of affairs stays troublesome for European module producers.
Now there’s a quite simple means out of this tariff spiral: The Internet-Zero Trade Act (NZIA). This prescribes resilience and sustainability standards for a number of the tenders.
The site visitors mild coalition in Germany has simply determined within the context of consultations on the photo voltaic package deal that NZIA must be carried out as rapidly as attainable. What does this imply? Earlier than the German federal authorities can current a draft regulation, it should anticipate the implementation act of the EU Fee, which is anticipated by the top of the yr. The legislative course of will due to this fact begin within the first half of 2025. Entry into pressure is then anticipated within the second half of the yr. After that, the resilience tenders may even be given.
It may be assumed that photo voltaic glass may even be a part of the privileged European worth chain in response to NZIA. This may safe the way forward for the very small European photo voltaic glass manufacturing, which may solely cowl a really small fraction of European demand. Double securing through photo voltaic glass tariffs will not be obligatory. The photo voltaic glass tariffs can and may due to this fact be abolished in parallel with the introduction of the resilience tenders.
With the abolition of the photo voltaic glass tariffs, the competitiveness of European module producers will enhance dramatically; this may particularly apply to glass-glass modules. Right here, the tariff prices had been doubly impactful.
Moreover, European modules may even be secured by the resilience tenders sooner or later. The module producers cannot solely produce less expensive with extra inexpensive photo voltaic glass but in addition have the NZIA security internet. All discussions about tariffs on module imports must be off the desk now.
The roadmap is now clear. Now it’s about ending the vicious cycle from the previous and abolishing the artificially elevated prices for European producers. Thus, resilience and local weather safety might be related.
The views and opinions expressed on this article are the creator’s personal, and don’t essentially mirror these held by pv journal.
This content material is protected by copyright and will not be reused. If you wish to cooperate with us and want to reuse a few of our content material, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
