Solar panel trade

Does trade friction affect solar photovoltaic trade?

As a key renewable energy, solar photovoltaic (PV) trade also suffers from large-scale trade frictions. China, as the largest solar PV manufacturer and exporter, accounts for 80 % of the global supply chain. Under this background, this paper takes China as a case, to assess the impacts of trade frictions on PV trades.

Which countries are involved in a solar trade dispute?

Argentina is the largest initiator in these events, with seven events involving three types of interventions. The EU27 amended non-preferential rules of origin on solar panels in 2013, which is an essential aspect of the China-EU PV trade dispute.

How can Chinese solar panels overcome trade restrictions?

Chinese solar panel manufacturers aim to surmount the unprecedented trade restrictions they face in the U.S. and Europe using three key strategies: building factories directly in the U.S., building factories in new third-party markets and continuing direct exports where it makes financial sense to do so.

What are China's solar PV exports?

In 2021, the value of China’s solar PV exports was over USD 30 billion, almost 7% of China’s trade surplus over the last five years. In addition, Chinese investments in Malaysia and Viet Nam also made these countries major exporters of PV products, accounting for around 10% and 5% respectively of their trade surpluses since 2017.