Solar power installations fall in Europe as PV market shifts

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Series Details 08.05.13
Publication Date 08/05/2013
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The amount of new solar power installed in Europe in 2012 fell sharply for the first time in more than a decade, in an arresting sign of how the region’s dominance of the global market is drawing to an end.

New installation fell from 22.4GW in 2011 to 17GW in 2012, taking Europe’s share of new capacity down from 74% to 55% in what the solar industry said was a 'turning point in the global PV [photovoltaic] market that will have profound implications in coming years'.

Concurrently, the European Commission approved in the spring of 2013 tariffs on Chinese-made solar panels in response to complaints of price-dumping. However, analysts said the move would do little more than give European companies a short-lived boost, and that the levy would mainly just increase prices and decrease use of solar power.

The FT reported on the 19 May 2013 that Germany had gone on a collision course with the European Commission by warning that imposing anti-dumping duties on solar panels from China would be a 'grave mistake'. Import duties were expected to be announced formally by the European Commission in early June 2013.

Related Links
Website: European Photovoltaic Industry Association http://www.epia.org/home/
ESO: Background information: China to probe EU solar imports http://www.europeansources.info/record/china-to-probe-eu-solar-imports/
European Commission: DG Trade: News, 27.04.13: EU launches anti-subsidy investigation on solar glass from China http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=891
BBC News, 08.05.13: EU China solar panel trade war looms http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22445640
Spiegel Online International, 08.05.13: Dumping Allegations: EU To Impose Tariffs on Chinese Solar Panels http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/eu-to-impose-tariffs-on-chinese-solar-panels-a-898889.html
EPIA: Global Market Outlook for Photovoltaics 2013-2017 http://www.epia.org/index.php?eID=tx_nawsecuredl&u=0&file=/uploads/tx_epiapublications/GMO_2013_-_Final_PDF.pdf&t=1368141305&hash=98858d6329bc6d22de9212b3083fb5e2b3a4a88a
BBC News, 08.05.13: China's solar panel industry facing gloomy times http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22456231
Deutsche Welle, 08.05.13: EU imposes anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar panels http://www.dw.de/eu-imposes-anti-dumping-duties-on-chinese-solar-panels/a-16798471
EurActiv, 10.05.13: Solar thermal chief predicts third year of recession http://www.euractiv.com/energy-efficiency/solar-thermal-chief-predicts-thi-news-519621
Website: Alliance for Affordable Solar Energy http://afase.org/en
SINA.com, 20.05.13: EU, China have 'much to lose' in case of trade war http://english.sina.com/business/2013/0519/591945.html
The Guardian, 09.04.13: More than 1,000 firms demand end to EU-China solar PV trade war http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/09/firms-demand-end-eu-china-solar-trade-war
AFASE: Press Release, 13.05.13: Provisional Anti-Dumping Duties of 37-68% put thousands of EU jobs at risk http://afase.org/en/content/provisional-anti-dumping-duties-37-68-put-thousands-eu-jobs-risk
EurActiv, 20.05.13: German minister calls EU move on China solar 'grave mistake' http://www.euractiv.com/general/german-minister-calls-eu-move-ch-news-519845
BBC News, 27.05.13: German Chancellor moves to cool EU-China trade dispute http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22677755
EUObserver, 27.05.13: Merkel backs China in EU trade row http://euobserver.com/foreign/120243
EurActiv, 27.05.13: Merkel, Li want to end solar trade row http://www.euractiv.com/trade/merkel-li-want-solar-trade-row-news-528047
Blog: The Blog of Changes - Duncan Freeman, 07.07.13: Germany Leads Europe in China http://freeman.blogactiv.eu/2013/07/07/germany-leads-europe-in-china/

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