Not so sunny: trade war looms in solar space

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE5833F220090904

Not so sunny: trade war looms in solar space

Fri Sep 4, 2009 9:13am EDT

By Leonora Walet and Christoph Steitz - Analysis

HONG KONG/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Fair competition or Save the Planet?

That could ultimately be at play as China and the West, long at odds over trade in steel, textiles and auto parts, risk being sucked into a row over protectionism in renewable energy equipment such as solar panels.

German solar firms Conergy and Solarworld have voiced strong concern about the pricing practices of Chinese panel makers -- who undercut their German peers' products by around 20 percent. Chinese modules sell in Europe at about 1.70 euros per watt, according to a UBS report.

Industry experts say U.S. firms share those German concerns.

…

[bhikkhu]

1. Cheap Chinese solar panels? Its about time.

They can keep all the toys and plastic crap, but if they want to flood the market with low-cost solar panels I'm all for it.

[joshcryer]

2. They'll get over it. I hate the market (anti-monetarist), but it is cold and calculated and this...

...is just how things work.

The real question is whether or not China can be held to the same standards of pollution that the West holds itself to. *If* there is going to be some sort of tarrif then it should take into account environmental aspects.