The European Commission launched an anti-dumping investigation against China-based solar firms on September 6.The investigation is scheduled to take nine months before preliminary results are announced.A final verdict will then be announced six months after the preliminary results.
The increasing trade barriers in the two major markets,Europe and the US,are having a negative impact on solar firms in China,however,domestic demand has been rising rapidly and may surpass Germany's solar market in 2013,according to China-based solar firms.
The EU probe includes dumping of solar wafers,cells,and modules.The final verdict will be announced in 15 months.However,some solar firms in Taiwan and China believe the market will go through turbulence in the 15-month period.Also,customers from other regions may also switch their preferences to lower the risk of buying China-based brands that may soon go bankrupt due to the investigation and punitive duties.
Taiwan-based solar firms believe the probe will induce China-based peers to shift more solar cell OEM orders to Taiwan.However,China-based firms may choose other locations such as Eastern Europe to manufacture solar modules due to distance advantages and relatively lower production costs compared to Taiwan.
In 2011,the total export of solar panels and components to the EU from China reached EUR21 billion(US$26 billion),accounting for 60%of total exports from China to the EU.
