EU Solar Companies Demand High Tariffs for Chinese Competitors
Under allegations of dumping, an investigation has been launched into Chinese manufacturers' role in the European solar market.
Manufacturers in the European solar glass manufacturing market have accused Chinese manufacturers in the same field of dumping -- selling products below European prices to steal market share.
EU ProSun Glass, companies banded together against their Chinese counterparts, is demanding high tariffs to be placed on Chinese solar products sold in Europe. The primary focus of this dispute is solar glass, a sheet of glass just millimeters thick, covering rows of solar cells and requiring higher levels of purity than everyday glass.
Last November, the largest trade investigation in EU history was launched in Brussels to examine China's role in the European solar cell and panel market. The Financial Times reports investigators are currently in China conducting an investigation into claims that Chinese manufacturers in the solar industry are receiving unlawful subsidies to dump products into the European market.
Solar exports from China to the EU totaled €21 billion in 2011, while the EU market was only worth €200 million last year. That may be a comparatively small market, but EU ProSun claims this is the first step in China's pursuit of a monopoly in the sustainable energy industry.