Trade disputes hit solar export prices

Trade disputes hit solar export prices - Chinadaily | The value of China's solar exports fell by almost one-third in the first half of 2013 as trade disputes took a toll on prices, an industry group said on Friday. According to the Photovoltaic Product Branch of the China Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, the value of solar cell and module exports plunged 31 percent year-on-year to $6.5 billion in the first six months. Prices were down 41 percent, while export volume increased 17 percent, the organization said on its website on Friday. Shipments to the European Union fell about 58 percent, in contrast to a sharp rise in sales to Japan (up 150 percent), India (100 percent) and South Africa (2,200 percent). Solar panel sales to the EU reached 21 billion euros ($27.9 billion) last year. But after the EU initiated an anti-dumping probe into Chinese solar products starting in November 2012, many Chinese panel makers had to cut prices to garner orders in Europe. Li Junfeng, head of the China Renewable Energy Industry Association, which is under the National Development and Reform Commission, said the industry's biggest problem is still excess capacity. ... 90 percent of China's solar companies' production was exported in 2012, making the domestic market an ever-more important alternative.