U.S. Solar Energy in 2011

Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, today published the following review of the U.S. solar energy market in 2011:

“In contrast to some of the recent headlines, the solar energy industry is a strong, thriving industry in the United States that is creating jobs and lowering costs for the consumer. In 2011, a number of myths about the solar energy industry circulated nationally. Let’s set the record straight. Here are seven truths about this thriving American industry:

1. Solyndra did not kill the industry. In fact, the solar energy industry is expanding rapidly and has become a highly competitive, thriving industry in the United States. Solyndra’s high-profile bankruptcy in August was an anomaly in what proved to be the industry’s most successful quarter on record. Although Solyndra couldn’t compete, the rest of the industry grew by 140 percent in the last year and costs came down by 40 percent. America discovered that one company’s failure does not reflect an entire industry. In fact, 9 out of 10 Americans feel it’s important to develop and use more solar in the U.S., according to an independent national poll conducted a month after Solyndra declared bankruptcy.

2. Today, U.S. solar is an economic force: employing more than 100,000 Americans at 5,000 businesses across all 50 states. The solar industry proved itself to be a strong job creator in the United States. The vast majority of the 5,000 companies that make up the industry in the U.S. are small businesses, engines of growth for our economic recovery. These are real people in real solar jobs as reported by The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census 2011. The solar value chain includes engineers, sales people, and other administrative professionals as well installers, roofers, electricians, plumbers and contractors – skilled labor professions hit hard by rampant unemployment in recent years – now finding new opportunities to put their expertise to work in the solar industry.

3. The solar industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in our economy.The solar industry set a record for installations and achieved 140 percent annual growth in thethird quarter of 2011. In fact, more U.S. solar electric capacity came online in Q3 2011 than in all of 2009 combined; Q4 2011 is forecast to be even larger as solar becomes a cost competitive choice for more homeowners and businesses across America.

4. Consumer, business and industry support for solar continues to grow. Solar’s growth is leading to rapid innovation across the spectrum – from factory improvements to new financing and sales mechanisms – that allow more and more Americans to turn to solar energy. Target, Walgreens, Whole Foods, Johnson & Johnson, Safeway and others are powering their businesses with solar. In addition to GE’s investment in new manufacturing in the U.S., 2011 also welcomed new household-name corporations to the solar industry, with Warren Buffett’s MidAmerica Energy, Total Energy and Google all making sizeable investments in solar in 2011.

5. Solar is now affordable for more Americans. Today, there are 1.5 million households using solar water heating and enough solar electricity to power 730,000 homes. And solar is becoming more affordable every day with technology innovation, scaled up manufacturing, faster installation techniques, and new financing options. The price of solar panels dropped 40 percent since the beginning of 2010 and the average installed system price dropped 14.4 percent from Q2 to Q3 in 2011 alone.

6. Growing markets bring increased competition. Global trade in solar products has benefitted the United States by expanding export opportunities for domestic manufacturers, creating jobs and driving down costs. In fact, the U.S. was a net exporter of $2 billion in solar products in 2010. As global competition intensifies, the need is even stronger for open markets operating on rules-based trade principles and for governments and private parties to follow the framework of internationally-negotiated trade rules.

7. Uncertainty remains as a successful investment mechanism expires. Congress left Washington, D.C. without continuing the important 1603 Treasury Program, a program that provides flexibility in how developers finance projects. This program, which allows the market to choose winners and losers, was the single most effective policy for deploying a dozen energy technologies in the last year. The program has spurred completion of more than 22,000 energy projects across all 50 states and attracted $23 billion in private investment. The industry will push to renew this successful program when Congress returns in January 2012.

Solar works for America and 2011 was a record year for the U.S. solar industry. Although the past year presented challenges to the solar industry, with American ingenuity, hard work, and smart and consistent energy policies our industry is on track for another record year in 2012.”

Source:http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/23/u-s-solar-energy-in-2011/

China blasts SolarWorld's request for tariffs, says cheap solar panels help economy, environment

China traded arguments with SolarWorld Industries America on Friday over the Hillsboro-based manufacturer's charges that illegal Chinese subsidies are gutting the U.S. solar sector.

Chinese government officials and executives said a trade complaint filed Wednesday by German-owned SolarWorld and six other manufacturers could hurt global economic recovery and impede efforts to address climate change. The coalition led by SolarWorld, which employs 1,000 in Hillsboro, accused China of cornering the market by dumping products in the United States for less than it costs to manufacture and ship them.

But a statement issued by China's Commerce Ministry said the United States had adopted its own policies to protect the U.S. solar industry. The agency called on U.S. officials to reject the coalition's call for tariffs on Chinese products.

"If the U.S. government files a case, adopts duties and sends an inappropriate protectionist signal, it would cast a shadow over world economic recovery," the statement said. "The U.S. has no reason to criticize other countries' efforts to improve the world's environment."

The dispute places Oregon in the middle of growing conflict between the United States and China over international trade, currency values and patent protection. A trade war would hurt Oregon exporters, who sell more products to China than any other country.

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The Oregonian’s continuing coverage of SolarWorld and its trade complaint against China.
China's statement Friday could be interpreted as a threat to retaliate if the United States imposes tariffs because it said American companies would lose sales to China of factory equipment and raw materials. But it was unclear whether Chinese officials meant they would put duties on U.S. products or merely that companies in China would need fewer American goods if their exports to the United States declined.

SolarWorld's group, the Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing, responded Friday to China's statement, calling it misleading, unfounded and absurd. The coalition, whose other six members remain anonymous, went beyond the solar issue to label China the worst violator of global trade laws. It accused China of damaging the environment, manipulating its currency and failing to protect intellectual property rights.

The U.S. coalition singled out one manufacturer, Zhejiang Jinko Solar Co., whose operations were suspended recently after protesters complained of toxic emissions, fish kills and cancer deaths. SolarWorld asserts that Jinko Solar is among companies receiving low-interest loans that violate fair-trade provisions.

Jinko managers had no comment Friday. But managers of China's Suntech Power Holdings Co., accused by the coalition of dumping, issued a statement saying they were "well-prepared to substantiate our strict adherence to fair international trade practices."

Managers of another Chinese company, Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd., also issued a statement. "We intend to mount a vigorous defense," they said.

The public version of the coalition's voluminous filing became available Friday. It's heavily redacted to protect trade secrets and the identities of SolarWorld's co-petitioners.

The documents say companies supporting the petitions account for 70 percent of U.S. crystalline-silicon solar-cell production. The trade complaint covers only those products -- not so-called thin-film solar panels made by SoloPower, a company launching a Portland plant, and previously by Solyndra, a California company that went under after receiving a $535 million U.S. government loan guarantee.

Not all segments of the U.S. solar industry support the coalition's attack on China. Many solar-panel installers like the cheap Chinese modules.

Carlos Domenech, president of SunEdison -- a unit of MEMC Materials Inc., which has a solar-ingot factory in Portland -- told Bloomberg news service that low-cost Chinese panels help U.S. consumers and create green jobs in the United States.

Joanna Lewis, a Georgetown University authority on China's renewable-energy industry, said Friday that Chinese solar manufacturing helps the global transition to a low-carbon energy economy.

"If you care about things like climate change," Lewis said, "you want solar energy to be available to as many countries as possible for as low a price as possible."

Source:http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/10/china_blasts_solarworlds_reque.html

Solar is the Future of Renewable Energy Generation

With the rise of atmospheric carbon and the depletion of finite reserves of natural resources, it is clear that our energy future will inevitably have a larger percentage of renewable energy generation in the total energy mix than exists today. However, of the two dominant sources of renewable energy currently deployed, wind and solar, solar has some distinct advantages over wind that convince me that the US and the world should be aggressively pursuing increases in installed solar generation capacity.

Solar is modular: A single solar panel is about the size of a standard coffee table, making panels easy to transport, install and use in projects ranging from just a few kW on a residential rooftop to hundreds of MW in the middle of the Nevada desert. Modern wind turbines have blade lengths of 50 meters or more, creating substantial transportation and installation difficulties.

Solar produces its maximum power output exactly when it is needed most: Solar panels produce the most power on hot, sunny days – exactly when the need for electricity is highest (primarily to run air conditioning). Solar can therefore be a cost-effective replacement for expensive gas or diesel peaker plants that remain idle for 90+% of their asset life. Wind, on the other hand, generally produces the most power at night, when the demand for electricity is lowest.

Solar is cheap, and getting cheaper: Prices for solar panels have been decreasing exponentially, dropping from an average of $3.50/W in 2008 to just over $1.00/W today. The US SunShot initiative aims to decrease that by at least another 50% by 2020, which would make large-scale solar installations cost-competitive with today’s cheapest and dirtiest coal plants. Prices for wind turbines, on the other hand, have been flat or increasing since 2000, according to the US Department of Energy.

There are few siting concerns with solar power: Wind turbines are big, loud, and kill birds. Solar panels are small, silent, and have no moving parts. It should come as no surprise, then, that countless wind projects have been held up or cancelled due to opposition by local citizens. (The Cape Wind project is just one high-profile example of this). Solar has faced little to no community backlash.

There is only one true renewable energy resource on Earth – the sun: Every source of fuel on earth – including fossil fuels – ultimately originated as electromagnetic radiation from the massive nuclear reactor 93 million miles away. Even wind energy is created by the sun via pressure differentials of hot air moving from one region to another. Total global electricity demand could be met by collecting just 0.000001% (yes, five zeroes) of the direct solar radiation the earth receives every year. Doesn’t it make sense to start harnessing that energy directly?

Source:http://www.harbus.org/2011/solar-vs-wind/

Chinese Trade Practices Ripped

A coalition of seven U.S. manufacturers of solar cells and panels filed the complaint in Washington D.C. asking the federal government to take action against Chinese manufacturers who they accuse of dumping product in the American market.

SolarWorld AG’s U.S. unit filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington.

SolarWorld said it will be joined by other U.S. solar companies. The other six companies of the Coalition for American Solar Manufacturers have so far chosen to remain anonymous. The coalition was formed because members say business has been damaged by cheap imports from China.

The news comes at a time of maximum impact, when 20,000 people, including many from Chinese companies, are gathered in Dallas for the annual Solar Power International conference.

The cases allege dumping margins in excess of 100 percent as well as massive subsidies.

“Artificially low-priced solar products from China are crippling the domestic industry,” said Gordon Brinser, president of SolarWorld Industries America, based in Hillsboro, Ore. “As the strongest and most experienced U.S. producer, SolarWorld is leading the effort to hold china accountable to world trade law.”

The petitions allege that the Chinese government, through state-controlled financial and utility institutions intermingled with its solar manufacturing industry, has deployed land grants, contract awards, financial breaks and supply chain subsidies to unfairly price exports.

SolarWorld in September laid off 186 workers in California and consolidated manufacturing operations into its Oregon hub.

The elephant in the room has emerged for the solar industry.

The industry has been quick to trumpet the news that solar panels have dropped by 60 percent in the past three years but is extremely reticent to discuss one of the alleged causes raised by the complaint – dumped imports.

The U.S. Commerce Department has 20 days to respond. If it takes up an investigation, one would be completed in four to six months.

Source:http://www.renewablesbiz.com/article/11/10/chinese-trade-practices-ripped