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Author	Topic: Shift by U.S. muddles solar imports case	Post a Reply Back to Topics

Cakes77 Champion Author Harrisburg Posts:5,171 Points:1,654,695 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: May 16, 2012 9:11:45 AM Ignore Cakes77 Report Abuse SHANGHAI — Renewable energy companies around the world are awaiting a decision Thursday by the U.S. Commerce Department on whether to impose anti-dumping tariffs on solar panels imported from China, as a little-noticed policy shift by the department last year has made the outcome of the case unusually hard to predict Chinese companies grabbed nearly half the U.S. market for solar panels last year through aggressive price cuts that helped make solar energy considerably more affordable for U.S. families and electric utilities. But solar panel manufacturers in the United States have accused the Chinese companies of “dumping” panels: selling them below the cost of manufacturing and shipping them, so as to seize market share, drive competitors out of business and raise prices later. Any ant Visit NY Times for full article

Cakes77

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Message Posted: May 16, 2012 9:11:45 AM

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SHANGHAI — Renewable energy companies around the world are awaiting a decision Thursday by the U.S. Commerce Department on whether to impose anti-dumping tariffs on solar panels imported from China, as a little-noticed policy shift by the department last year has made the outcome of the case unusually hard to predict

Chinese companies grabbed nearly half the U.S. market for solar panels last year through aggressive price cuts that helped make solar energy considerably more affordable for U.S. families and electric utilities. But solar panel manufacturers in the United States have accused the Chinese companies of “dumping” panels: selling them below the cost of manufacturing and shipping them, so as to seize market share, drive competitors out of business and raise prices later.

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LanguageMan1 Champion Author Tampa Posts:11,733 Points:1,663,740 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: May 17, 2012 12:25:45 PM Ignore LanguageMan1 Report Abuse I typically try to stick with US made mono- or poly-crystaline panels.
Cakes77 Champion Author Harrisburg Posts:5,171 Points:1,654,695 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: May 17, 2012 8:56:51 AM Ignore Cakes77 Report Abuse Thanks for your nice comments folks on this article. Keep them coming!
1momsunshine Champion Author Ottawa Posts:5,500 Points:1,002,530 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: May 17, 2012 12:06:59 AM Ignore 1momsunshine Report Abuse ok
packards42 Champion Author Washington Posts:6,452 Points:1,129,565 Joined:Feb 2005	Message Posted: May 16, 2012 1:44:41 PM Ignore packards42 Report Abuse here a link that works http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/business/global/shift-by-us-muddles-solar-imports-case.html I went to China in April to check out importing Solar hot water panels systems, and All i can say is their were 100'd of manufacturers just in Haining industrial solar city. we talking 25 person shops. the only common suppliers were vacuum tube collectors, and of the four manufacturers three received their tube from three different local manufacturers, all using identical Germany style equipment, and all meeting Chinese government tube efficiency requirements. Two use the same tank manufacturer. yet the final SRCC rating varied by as mush as 100% from high to low.
mastermariner Champion Author Texas Posts:4,249 Points:495,675 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: May 16, 2012 1:28:33 PM Ignore mastermariner Report Abuse More people should use solar, as for china what do you expect.
tatker Champion Author Asheville Posts:1,976 Points:561,780 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: May 16, 2012 1:17:35 PM Ignore tatker Report Abuse bring on the tariff sheriff...
orphancarguyPE Champion Author PEI Posts:3,860 Points:736,940 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: May 16, 2012 11:40:07 AM Ignore orphancarguyPE Report Abuse Here is a correct working link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/business/global/shift-by-us-muddles-solar-imports-case.html All I can say about people saying "Buy American" is that if a tiny fraction of you HAD done that, then Solyndra and other US based manufacturers wouldn't be bankrupt. When I went to solar air heating (Cansolair=Newfoundland) and solar domestic hot water heating (Thermo Dynamics Ltd=Nova Scotia) panels, not only did I avoid cheaper imports and buy Canadian, I also bought from regional firms creating regional jobs. I'm thrilled with them both and the total $11,000 cost over several years starting in 2006, has been completely paid for and much more on furnace oil for heat and hot water not burned ie about $3000 per YEAR. There is also a substantial electricity saving as well, as the furnace uses a fair bit to run, and even a chunk is used when its sitting there NOT running. By the way, I just priced solar electric (PV=photovoltaic) and the all-in price installed for me and my house here in PEI, without outrageous subsidies or unrealistic feed-in tariffs, would be about 8 years...which is years less than the 100% replacement warranty on the panels which covers both outright failure or anything greater than a 20% loss in output over time. So, its becoming much more reasonable. In fact, it now makes sense--even without subsidies. For my house, it wouldn't be standalone, but a grid-tied system. Two meters--one measuring electricity sent to the grid for an annual credit, and another measuring monthly use from the grid. I still pay the monthly access fee, and I believe the electricity is the same rate both coming and going (again--NO subsidies!) but at the end of the year, it would balance out to about zero cost either way. So, if any of you really WANT the US to head for energy independence and reduce US dependence on imported oil, do the math without preconceptions or listening to radio/TV talking heads/blatherers spouting half-baked opinions about what is or isn't viable. If it is completely viable and feasible in more expensive, colder (Atlantic) Canada, then it likely makes even more sense to the average American below the 49th parallel. I have infloor warm water heating, and I'm now down to less than a tank of oil per year with the help of the solar air heater, which uses less than $10 of electricity a year to run. My payback for ripping out the oil boiler furnace and oil tank and going to completely solar with electric or propane emergency backup on a separate system for the infloor, is now down to about 5 years worth of heating oil, and a new oil tank installed. Have to replace the oil tank by 2015 anyway. After 5 years, then my heating is completely free for another 10. At 15 years, I have to change the antifreeze glycol, so a couple of hundred dollars all tolad. Big deal.
doctorindyj Champion Author Santa Fe Posts:3,463 Points:841,760 Joined:Nov 2009	Message Posted: May 16, 2012 10:34:29 AM Ignore doctorindyj Report Abuse If you have the capital to take the hit and the brass to try it, why not? I guess it beats over pricing them and then selling them to gullible idiots who will pay that much because they were bullied into it by the church of the green or to assuage some kind of eco-guilt.
knutzAL Champion Author Alabama Posts:2,248 Points:372,680 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: May 16, 2012 10:29:27 AM Ignore knutzAL Report Abuse Duh! Ya think........ come on people!
qwerty17 Champion Author New Jersey Posts:3,660 Points:1,119,625 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: May 16, 2012 9:33:44 AM Ignore qwerty17 Report Abuse no wonder solyndra was a failure.
dorisntx Champion Author Fort Worth Posts:2,079 Points:647,355 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: May 16, 2012 9:25:19 AM Ignore dorisntx Report Abuse ok
fracknsave Champion Author Grand Rapids Posts:1,666 Points:58,000 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 16, 2012 9:24:45 AM Ignore fracknsave Report Abuse What difference does it make? They wear out before you get any return on investment.
buzzieNY Champion Author Buffalo Posts:2,903 Points:637,505 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: May 16, 2012 9:24:12 AM Ignore buzzieNY Report Abuse Buy American and Help our Country, Not China..
fuel2use Champion Author Seattle Posts:3,493 Points:734,300 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: May 16, 2012 9:16:42 AM Ignore fuel2use Report Abuse A long term goal.