The European Commission has launched an anti-dumping investigation against Chinese manufacturers of solar glass following a complaint filed last month.
Dubbed EU ProSun Glass, although unaffiliated with the original EU ProSun that filed anti-dumping and countervailing claims against Chinese cell and module manufacturers last year, the group claimed that nearly 90% of imported solar glass from China was negatively impacting the European solar glass industry.
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Tim Richter, spokesman for the Alliance for Affordable Solar Energy which opposes tariffs against Chinese manufacturers, told PV-Tech: Tariffs on solar products and their components are bad for the entire European solar industry since they would lead to price increases and significantly dampen demand.
“Solar energy is playing an important role in enabling the EU to meet its climate change goals. However, for solar energy to be able to compete with traditional energy sources, the cost efficiency of solar energy must continue to rise. Any increase in costs will thus endanger the aim of grid parity which is already within grasp in several European member states”, concluded Richter.
The Commission is expected to issue provisional findings on the solar glass complaint – a market valued at less than €200 million (US$262 million) – within nine months of the start of this investigation.
