L R AS Published on Monday 23 October 2023 - n° 462 - Categories:PV Watch
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L R AS Published on Monday 16 October 2023 - n° 461 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the Indian example in photovoltaics
The revival of the European photovoltaic industry has been the subject of debate for almost two years. Everyone is well aware that we need to move away from our dependence on Chinese producers. But how can this be done? The American example is well known and appeals to all European manufacturers.
Because of its history, India has chosen another path, that of national stimulation based on customs protection, aid and subsidies, and national preference. It takes longer, but it works.
L R AS Published on Monday 9 October 2023 - n° 460 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the European price paid to China in PV
The photovoltaic crisis in Europe is a direct consequence of the installation of new production capacity in China. To avoid keeping too much in stock, Chinese manufacturers have forced European importers to make major purchases that exceed the market's capacity to absorb them. This has resulted in a doubling of supply in 2022. In 2023, imports could also reach double the level of installations. This has been combined with a fall in prices, which has led to the asphyxiation of European producers unable to compete with particularly low prices. As a result, importers have had to pay a price for the fall in prices. This follows the extra costs imposed by the Chinese during the covid by refusing to import foreign silicon, causing the closure of many factories around the world.
The actions of the Chinese during the recent period should be mentioned, as they have cost Europe several tens of billions of dollars in damage or financial losses. This calls for vigilance.
L R AS Published on Monday 2 October 2023 - n° 459 - Categories:PV Watch
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L R AS Published on Monday 25 September 2023 - n° 458 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the period 2009-2013 or liberalism versus protectionism
Should we favour photovoltaic installations by buying low-cost panels from China, or should we favour European production by paying a higher price? The debate has been raging for a long time. In 2023, the debate is set to flare up again as European warehouses become jammed with Chinese products that have to be sold at lower prices.
A German author reconstructs the history of photovoltaics over the period 2009-2013 and seeks to show that it was wise to favour installers rather than manufacturers. He invokes free trade to support his thesis.
Faced with the same dilemma, two countries have adopted attitudes that run counter to liberalism: the United States and India. They show that if the initial period of protection is synonymous with higher prices, there is no reason why prices should not fall rapidly to match Chinese prices. This position provides industrial independence, and a spread of activity far beyond photovoltaics alone. The bottom line is an increase in gross domestic product.
L R AS Published on Monday 18 September 2023 - n° 457 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the State of the Union speech
The State of the European Union speech showed better than anything what the Commission has become: a self-congratulation that will stun economic and social players who are facing serious problems, especially from China. Photovoltaic manufacturers in the European industry will be curious to know that the President remembers the invasion of Chinese panels around 2010, but that she is not announcing anything, even though they are in a comparable situation.
They will be astonished that a committee of enquiry has been set up into Chinese practices in the field of electric vehicles, when their habit is to develop an economic sector extensively and then invade foreign competitors at low cost. By the time the Commission has established this method, manufacturers will have something to worry about.
Having failed to come up with any response to China's attitude, which was its primary role, the Commission has taken it upon itself to look after Europeans, by introducing directives, standards and administrative measures.
L R AS Published on Monday 11 September 2023 - n° 456 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the risk of global overproduction of solar panels
When global demand for panels is compared with production capacity, there is a ratio of one to two and even 1 to 3. Despite this imbalance, manufacturers are used to managing this gap and keeping prices under control. However, 2023, and specifically the second half of the year, will be the period when excess production could lead to a significant drop in prices and perhaps to a crisis of overproduction.
L R AS Published on Sunday 3 September 2023 - n° 455 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at a missed opportunity
The Russo-Ukrainian war marked a turning point in the global photovoltaic industry: Europe turned its attention to panel installations, while India and the United States implemented a policy of industrialisation and panel production. The European Union has missed the opportunity for industrial independence. It is now dependent on Chinese industry. The latter is currently launching an offensive to asphyxiate the few small manufacturers that remain and, above all, to kill off any hint of the emergence of serious competitors by slashing prices. China wants to retain a captive market.
AS Published on Sunday 27 August 2023 - n° 454 - Categories:PV Watch
A look back at an anniversary not to be missed
The US Inflation Reduction Act was introduced in mid-August 2022. It was well received at the time. It is still at the root of many investment decisions in the United States. Projects are multiplying; money is spreading throughout the economy; all regions feel stimulated. This law transformed the country's future.
AS Published on Monday 10 July 2023 - n° 453 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the development of distributed photovoltaic installations
Almost everywhere in the world, distributed photovoltaic installations are larger in volume than centralised installations! This trend is set to continue, even if the developers of large-scale power plants are temporarily able to obtain supplies of material, thereby boosting the number of installations. The development and multiplicity of these micro-generators of energy is causing a change in the organisation of the electricity network. This creates a new challenge for the organisation of energy, but above all for the organisation of society.
AS Published on Monday 3 July 2023 - n° 452 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at wanting (continued)
Last week, we were surprised that Europe was imposing so many decisions that seemed ill-conceived, ill-advised and badly put together. We presented them in the form of a desire to act, a general attitude towards establishing a European 'Union'. This week, we provide some justification for what may have appeared to be a bias. Above all, we want to emphasise that a large number of European decisions are either based on specific statistics, or project very presumptuously into the future. However, it is the people of Europe who will suffer as a result of this desire to legislate, as governments have rarely been seen to back down.
AS Published on Monday 26 June 2023 - n° 451 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at wanting
The European world is characterised by objectives and decisions, in other words by an expression of will. The latter believes it has all the power if it is combined with authority. Those who combine the two by virtue of their duties know that they can; they know that their wishes will be carried out. The result is often excesses, idiotic, absurd decisions devoid of common sense or practical sense. Recent decisions by the European Commission on photovoltaics are a good illustration of this.
AS Published on Tuesday 20 June 2023 - n° 450 - Categories:PV Watch
French energy outlook 2023-2030
The news is all about nuclear power, renewable energies and sometimes multi-annual energy plans. Each time, there's a debate, conflicting opinions, meetings, then summaries. Then the government does what it wants. Too much information means that we forget the stages and even the decisions.
It is rare to have access to a summary document from a body reporting to the Prime Minister. It presents France's prospective energy situation. It shows better than any speech how senior civil servants see energy ten years ahead.
AS Published on Monday 12 June 2023 - n° 449 - Categories:PV Watch
Looking to the future
Life is generally made up of weeks that look the same and seem to make everyday life unchanging. Sometimes new things happen, or rather new facts that seem incongruous in the course of known elements. But if we know how to spot them, we have the clue to a coming change, even a mutation.
This week, with this experiment in new agrivoltaics, with the next overproduction of panels after that of silicon, with the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energies or even the production of solar energy in space, changes are appearing. For the moment, they are almost marginal, or rather they are a fledgling development that is so modest, so fragile and so full of promise that we need to take a close look at them, because they will change our future in just a few half-years' time.
L R AS Published on Monday 5 June 2023 - n° 448 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at falling prices in the PV sector
The oversupply of silicon from the fourth quarter of 2022 onwards has reversed the trend in photovoltaic prices. Many manufacturers did not anticipate this phenomenon and continued to produce as before. However, when prices fall due to overproduction, buyer behaviour changes considerably. They avoid buying or they postpone their purchases because they know they will be able to obtain goods on better terms at a later date. This contributes to building up stocks and creating losses for manufacturers.