PV industry international collisions and bends overtaking

In October of last year, seven U.S. PV companies filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission, stating that “Chinese PV companies illegally dumped polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic cells to the U.S. market. The Chinese government provided domestic production companies with supply chain subsidies and set up trade barriers. Such illegal subsidies require the “federal government to levy more than US$1 billion in tariffs on photovoltaic products from China.” In November, the U.S. Department of Commerce officially issued an announcement announcing that it will launch anti-dumping and anti-subsidy “double counter” investigations on Chinese solar cells (boards) exported to the United States. The survey involved as many as 75 Chinese PV companies and will basically be of a certain scale in China. Photovoltaic companies have been wiped out. In May of this year, the US Department of Commerce announced the preliminary results of anti-dumping subsidies for solar energy in China, and determined that there were dumpings from China's mainland PV manufacturers ranging from 31.14% to 249.96%.

Two months after the US Department of Commerce announced the preliminary results, the Chinese PV industry was not alone and the trade war started again. This time, the opponent changed to Europe. For most Chinese PV companies, compared to the lost US market, the consequences of losing the European market are even more tragic. Due to the greater size of the European market, losing the EU is equivalent to losing 50% of the shipping market.

Once China's photovoltaic industry encounters a trade war again and again, the significance and inspiration behind it can be interpreted from various perspectives.

The photovoltaic trade war between China and the United States and between China and Europe is behind a German company called SolarWorld. This is the epitome of long-standing grievances between the Chinese and German companies in the photovoltaic industry. It is also a matter of great concern. This is the result of rapid technological proliferation. Contradictions. In the beginning, the development of the photovoltaic industry in Europe and the United States brought the initial glimmer of Chinese photovoltaics. Take Germany as an example. In 2007, Germany produced 875 megawatts of photovoltaic modules, which accounted for 20.5% of the global market share. It was only able to meet 67.3% of German installation demand, which resulted in a large amount of import demand and directly stimulated China. The rise of photovoltaics. China's largest photovoltaic company, Wuxi Suntech's annual output in 2007 was 54 times that of 2002.

From a theoretical point of view, the global trajectory of the photovoltaic industry is a typical diffusion of technology. In this process of technology diffusion, the overall attitude of the European and American photovoltaic industry is tangled, or more precisely, the attitude of capital is entangled. Due to the different sectors in which capital is located, the interests of capital that is in the same position as Chinese companies will be damaged. This proliferation is also disgusting, and will continue to attempt to stop - in 2007, Germany's photovoltaic module production capacity ranked first in the world. Only one year later in 2008, it was surpassed by its Chinese counterparts, and it went from bad to worse. At the same time, the attitudes of downstream capital are very different. They benefit from the reduction in costs brought about by technology diffusion. They have a happy attitude towards the consequences of technological diffusion. Under the active communication between Chinese companies and European companies, companies including Bosch are involved. It has been publicly stated that SolarWorld's application is not supported and that 40 European PV companies have formed a lobby to try to prevent the EU’s dual counter-reports.

Behind the diffusion of technology is the collision of technological strength. At present, Chinese companies still occupy the labor-intensive and environmental pollution-intensive sectors of the photovoltaic industry, while Europe and the United States occupy R&D and raw materials. However, unlike other developing countries in the world, China has a complete industrial system. Thanks to the economic and technological strength that has been accumulated through reform and opening up, China’s ability to undertake technological diffusion has continued to develop, and it can quickly imitate and master related production technologies. The production of manufacturing equipment reduces costs to a greater extent, supplies products at a lower price than Western companies, and then directly conflicts with the original technology creators in the international market. Moreover, as China's ability to undertake technological diffusion has intensified and the time for technology diffusion has become more rapid, the profit cycle of upstream capital has also been shortened.

The photovoltaic industry is only a scene of this magnificent global technology proliferation and anti-proliferation dispute. China has staged such rapid technological proliferation in high-speed railways, new fighter aircrafts, and communications equipment, and then turned to the international community. Excellent competition in market competition. In this process, it is bound to be full of various trade disputes. Fortunately, Chinese companies have also learned to protect themselves and fight against each other. In response to the “double opposition” of the former US Department of Commerce, 14 Chinese PV companies jointly defended under the organization of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products. In response to the EU's anti-dumping investigation, a number of domestic polysilicon companies also proposed to the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China a “double counter” investigation of polysilicon from the EU.

However, at the same time, it should be noted that this advantage of Chinese companies is also built on low environmental advantages. Although the photovoltaic industry belongs to the clean energy industry and its purpose is environmental protection, its production process is a big pollution. In the GDP competition of local governments in China, photovoltaic companies can get some care in the dark, and it is not hard to imagine that the internalized environmental pollution should be externalized and damage the interests of the local people.

In a sense, this growing ability to undertake technology diffusion provides the foundation for us to implement a curve overtaking strategy. However, it must be emphasized that such overtaking of corners is often based on the local government’s eagerness for quick success, the pursuit of GDP, the use of government subsidies as a means, and the cost of environmental pollution and the infringement of laborer’s rights, since it is not due to spontaneous market conditions. However, the decision-making of a few people is destructive, and the final result is often not wonderful.

In the early 1980s, Japan had developed an ambitious fifth-generation computer research and development program to catch up with the United States in the computer field. However, after spending more than US$400 million in ten years, it failed to achieve the desired goals. In 1992, the plan was terminated. At the same time, the rise of market-based US personal computers has led the world into the IT era. As far as China is concerned, whether it is the photovoltaic industry or high-speed rail technology, it is a good example in itself. It is a simple truth that the curve can be an opportunity for overtaking and is often prone to rollover or derailment. Ironically, from a global point of view, the European and American photovoltaic industry has grown up under the subsidy of the global Keynesian government. It can be seen as an overtaking of them trying to defeat themselves and overcome the market, but the current situation Look, the market is ridiculing this global curve turning.