Zenzor ble gitt tilgang nå👍 Han er flink til å finne nyheter og burde vært inkludert tidligere.

https://www.nationalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/RSC_Uyghur-Forced-Labor-Letter_Final.pdf
FEBRUARY 3, 2022
"
We are writing to respectfully request that you review whether the Chinese solar panel company Longi,
metallurgical-grade silicon and solar-grade polysilicon producer East Hope, photovoltaic materials
supplier GCL New Energy, and polysilicon manufacturer Xinjiang Daqo meet the criteria for designation
under the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act (as amended by the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act),
the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, and any other relevant provision of law.
...
Since the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act passed into law in June 2020, not a single entity has been
designated under the authority. Now, those sanctions have been augmented by the Uyghur Forced Labor
Prevention Act. Due to these concerns, we supported an amendment to the America COMPETES Act
which passed the House of Representatives yesterday in a bipartisan vote, which required a determination
into whether the aforementioned companies meet the criteria for designation under both laws for their use
of forced labor.
We would like a response to the following questions before February 11
th, 2022:
(1) Does Longi meet the criteria for designation as a Specially Designated National (SDN) under the
Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, the Global Magnitsky
Act, or any other provision of law? If not, why not?
(2) Does Xinjiang Daqo meet the criteria for designation as an SDN the Uyghur Human Rights Policy
Act, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, the Global Magnitsky Act, or any other provision of
law? If not, why not?
(3) Does East Hope meet the criteria for designation as an SDN the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act,
the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, the Global Magnitsky Act, or any other provision of law?
If not, why not?
(4) Does GCL meet the criteria for designation as an SDN the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, the
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, the Global Magnitsky Act, or any other provision of law? If
not, why not?
(5) Does Special Climate Envoy John Kerry have any vested interest in China’s solar panel industry?
If yes, how is your administration going to address this apparent conflict of interest?
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
__________________
JIM BANKS
Chairman, Republican Study Committee
__________________
JOE WILSON
Chairman, Republican Study Committee National Security and Foreign Affairs Task Force
"

👌🏻👌🏻

Da tar nå rec og Freyr av. Dette er stort !

Wacker shifts focus, prepares for more growth in Charleston, Tennessee
https://news.yahoo.com/wacker-shifts-focus-prepares-more-172600880.html
FEBRUARY 12, 2022

In depth: Why China's once red-hot solar sector is cooling
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Caixin/In-depth-Why-China-s-once-red-hot-solar-sector-is-cooling
FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Mange takk Flyers!

Veldig spennende å følg med på hvordan behovet for polysil strammer seg til også for kinas egne.
Ingen tvil om at det er uhyre viktig med forutsigbarhet i polysil-leveransene i årene som kommer.

Selv om det ikke er en nyhet så ønsker jeg å minne om ordlyden i børsmeldingen om samarbeidet med Group14 fra 2020, som jeg hadde glemt litt bort men som absolutt er høyst aktuell med nyhetene fra fredagen:

"The large-scale commercial facility will be
the first and largest silicon-carbon anode material plant globally that will
enable lithium-silicon batteries and accelerate the electrification of
everything. The full-scale facility is expected to break ground in 2021, with
the capacity to bring 12,000 tons/year of advanced silicon battery materials to
the global Li-ion market by 2023."

...

"At its core, this partnership is aimed at driving battery innovation forward to
meet demand for next-generation Li-ion batteries," said Tore Torvund, CEO &
President, REC Silicon. "With Group14, we're creating a domestic supply chain
capable of producing industrial-scale levels of innovative battery materials."

...

"We are looking ahead to mitigate potential global supply chain disruptions, and
this partnership with REC Silicon in our home state of Washington allows us to
source a key commodity precursor locally, reliably and sustainably," said Rick
Luebbe, Co-Founder and CEO, Group14 Technologies. "REC Silicon produces the
highest-quality silane with the lowest carbon footprint, allowing us to develop
clean lithium-silicon battery materials to enable the electrification of
everything.""

https://newsweb.oslobors.no/message/515280

"The past 12 months have been a turbulent time for PV manufacturing. Rapid and impressive developments in technology have been accompanied by price increases up and down the supply chain, and energy shortages weighed on production in the second half of the year. Chinese n-type module manufacturer Jolywood is now pressing ahead with ambitious expansion plans despite the disruption."

...

"This year, PV manufacturing has been hit with rising prices and supply chain disruption – how has Jolywood been affected?

This has caused us a lot of headaches this year, it’s true. Due to control of energy consumption policies in China, we have had to cut down on production. And we have had other difficulties along the value chain. For example, one of our suppliers sent us a notification that they would have to cease production for four whole days. It is difficult to secure materials for our production, and many suppliers are in a similar situation.

Silicon prices have also increased dramatically, and with this energy control policy, silicon manufacturers are unable to expand their capacity – so this could be an ongoing problem into next year."

https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2022/02/12/weekend-read-expansions-in-n-type/

FEBRUARY 12

I motsetning til REC går altså Wacker ut med sine utvidelsesplaner. Kan jo trekke forskjellige meninger/oppfatninger av dette. Sitat: "Wacker har utplassert sitt anlegg til 2,5 milliarder dollar på Hiwassee-elven for å bidra til å møte den voksende polysilicon-etterspørselen i halvlederindustrien og høyeffektive solceller ".‎
Vel-nå har jo Wacker også et utall andre produkter de leverer.

Invent here, manufacture here (OPINION)
https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/594042-invent-here-manufacture-here?amp
FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Here's how Democrats can sweeten the deal for Manchin to back Biden's big spending bill

Democrats are likely to wait and try to pick up smaller pieces sometime in the spring, given Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia threw more cold water on new federal spending this week.


https://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-manchin-deal-president-biden-spending-bill-budget-deficit-2022-2?r=US&IR=T

Nok en som går ut med sin strategi: https://twitter.com/ultralowcarbon/status/1493258423458320387?cxt=HBwWhsC-gfynj7kpAAAA&cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&refsrc=email

Solar bill could provide tax breaks to panel manufacturers
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2022/feb/15/solar-bill-could-provide-tax-breaks-panel-manufact/
FEBRUARY 15, 2022

“
MOSES LAKE — A bill proposed by Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, to give tax breaks to companies seeking to build solar panels in Washington is expected to get a hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Thursday.

Warnick said Senate Bill 5849, is “moving through” the Senate, and is scheduled for a committee hearing on Thursday, Feb. 17. Warnick said the measure is not bound by the Feb. 15 cutoff rules that apply to policy bills because it’s a tax incentive.

“And it’s necessary to implement the budget,” she said.
..
“

“
..

Warnick said she is having to work to convince colleagues in the legislature that a tax incentive for solar manufacturing is beneficial.

The legislation is tied to a potential major investment in the works that would allow REC Silicon, which halted output in 2019 following a lengthy trade dispute with China that blocked access to that country’s solar panel market, to restart solar-grade polysilicon production.

“I’m just trying to do my part to make Washington state attractive for investment,” Warnick said.

Richard Hanover, business development director for the Port of Moses Lake, said during a meeting of the commission overseeing the port on Monday he is watching the progress of the Warnick bill closely as part of the major potential investment.

“It’s such a big project, and there’s still quite a bit of stuff going through,” Hanover told commissioners. “And REC is talking to other companies in similar industries.”
..
“

Og vi er fortsat under 15.

Udnyt det mens i kan (;

Nydelig Mamman!!!

Jeg er lastet til ripa i REC og har ikke mere midler 😎

Tusen takk Manman. Dette viser igjen at det er de lokale avtalene som vi først vil dra nytte av, så får Biden sine eventuelt komme senere.
Vil tro denne går gjennom, og vi får melding om åpning av ML, med påfølgende info om avtalen mellom HS og REC (pris, mengde osv).

Blir det ledig kapasitet vil nok batteri komme etter hvert.

REC er jo nesten "forpliktet" :-) til å vente med en melding om åpning, inntil denne loven er vedtatt.

Er det noen som har en formening om tidsløpet som som vi må regne med for å kunne vedta Bill 5849? Torsdag er jo kun en høring.

Vil jo tro at både republikanere og demokrater i delstaten er interessert i å tiltrekke seg MAJOR Investments. Jeg forutsetter derfor at pakken er lite kontroversiell rent politisk og derfor vil bli vedtatt.

Understanding the Uyghur forced labor prevention act and what comes next
https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=47ecf6fe-3ec7-45db-8542-089f83ea8cc1
FEBRUARY 14, 2022

Chinese PV Industry Brief: Hoshine plans 200,000 ton poly fab
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2022/02/15/chinese-pv-industry-brief-hoshine-plans-200000-ton-poly-fab/
FEBRUARY 15, 2022
"
China’s largest silicon metal and silicone producer, Hoshine Silicon, today said it will invest RMB17.5 billion (US$2.75 billion) in a new polysilicon factory with an annual production capacity of 200,000 metric tons. The fab will be located in Urumqi City, in China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Construction on the plant is expected to begin in May and be completed within 36 months. The company has reported a 500% increase in net profits in the past fiscal year.
...
"

Companies Sourcing China Goods Need Forced Labor Reviews
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/companies-sourcing-china-goods-need-forced-labor-reviews
FEBRUARY 10, 2022
"
All companies sourcing goods from China, both directly and indirectly, must take note of recent legislation targeting goods made with forced labor from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

On Dec. 23, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans imports from Xinjiang and imposes sanctions on foreign individuals responsible for forced labor in the region.

Importantly, the UFLPA creates a rebuttable presumption that any product with any nexus with Xinjiang or with trafficked Uyghurs is made with forced labor. This means that an import that is produced in a third country but includes a component from Xinjiang is also subject to the prohibition. To overcome this presumption, an importer will have to establish by clear and convincing evidence that an import was not made using forced labor.

The law, including the rebuttable presumption provision, will take full effect on June 21. In the meantime, the Department of Homeland Security has issued a notice seeking comments on how best to ensure merchandise produced with forced labor is not imported into the U.S.
....
"

glem ikke :)

Addition of Certain Entities to the Entity List
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/06/24/2021-13395/addition-of-certain-entities-to-the-entity-list
JUNE 24, 2021
"
..
This final rule adds the following five entities to the Entity List:

People's Republic of China
Hoshine Silicon Industry (Shanshan) Co., Ltd.;
Xinjiang Daqo New Energy, Co. Ltd;
Xinjiang East Hope Nonferrous Metals Co. Ltd.;
Xinjiang GCL New Energy Material Technology, Co. Ltd; and
Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.
..
"

Veldig rart at Kina vil satse på bygging i Xinjiang provinsen når USA og vesten bannlyser alt av produksjon som kommer derfra.

Kina skal installere store mengder solkraft i eget land. De ser kanskje vesentlig mindre eksportmuligheter, og velger produksjon der den er billigst.

Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Advances Cleaner Industrial Sector to Reduce Emissions and Reinvigorate American Manufacturing
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/02/15/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-advances-cleaner-industrial-sector-to-reduce-emissions-and-reinvigorate-american-manufacturing/
FEBRUARY 15, 2022
"
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing new actions across agencies to support American leadership on clean manufacturing—including low-carbon production of the steel and aluminum we need for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels, and the clean concrete we need to upgrade our transportation infrastructure. These actions will create more good-paying jobs and follow on a historic comeback for American factories, with 367,000 manufacturing jobs added during President Biden’s first year in office, the most in nearly 30 years. Further strengthening our industrial base will revitalize local economies, lower prices for consumers, provide more pathways to the middle class through union jobs, and boost American competitiveness in global markets.

The industrial sector is also central to tackling the climate crisis, as it is currently responsible for nearly a third of domestic greenhouse gas emissions. By helping manufacturers use clean energy, efficiency upgrades, and other innovative technologies to reduce emissions, the Administration is supporting cleaner industry that can produce the next generation of products and materials for a net-zero economy. These same manufacturing improvements will also protect public health, by reducing releases of air and water pollutants and toxic materials that disproportionately harm low-income households and communities of color.

Today’s announcements will clean up industrial processes that have long been challenging sources of pollution; create good-paying, union jobs across American manufacturing; and use domestic procurement and global trade policy to reward clean, American-made materials:

The Department of Energy is launching major clean hydrogen initiatives of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: $8 billion for Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs that will create jobs to expand use of clean hydrogen in the industrial sector and beyond; $1 billion for a Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program to reduce costs of hydrogen produced from clean electricity; and $500 million for Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling Initiatives to support equipment manufacturing and strong domestic supply chains.

The Council on Environmental Quality and White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy are establishing the first-ever Buy Clean Task Force, which will harness the federal government’s massive purchasing power to support low-carbon materials made in American factories. The General Services Administration and the Department of Transportation are also announcing new efforts to promote use of low-carbon materials in construction projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the State Department and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate are securing corporate purchasing commitments for low-carbon materials and technologies through the First Movers Coalition.

The Administration is advancing carbon-based trade policies to reward American manufacturers of clean steel and aluminum. Working with the European Union, the Administration is taking steps to align global trade with climate goals, which will keep out dirty products and result in more jobs and lower prices for Americans.

The Council on Environmental Quality is issuing new guidance on responsible deployment of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration (CCUS) technologies that can reduce emissions from heavy industry and help us achieve a net-zero economy. This guidance will support CCUS projects that create union jobs and protect communities from cumulative pollution impacts. Actions by agencies will incorporate environmental justice considerations across CCUS activities.

To equitably advance innovation across the entire sector, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is launching a new Initiative for Interdisciplinary Industrial Decarbonization Research with a focus on benefitting American workers and communities. The Department of Energy is working to establish the Industrial Technology Innovation Advisory Committee (ITIAC) to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders charged with creating a comprehensive strategy to lower the carbon footprint of America’s industrial base.
..
"

"
..
Launching “Buy Clean” Procurement

The federal government is the largest purchaser in the world, with annual purchasing power of over $650 billion. To harness that power to support low-carbon, made in America materials, the Council on Environmental Quality and White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy are establishing the first-ever Buy Clean Task Force. As directed by the President’s December 2021 executive order on federal sustainability, the Task Force will promote use of construction materials with lower embodied emissions and pollutants across their lifecycle—including each stage of the manufacturing process.

Other members include the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Transportation; the Environmental Protection Agency; the General Services Administration; and the White House Office of Management and Budget. The Task Force, which will continue to expand, is convening to develop recommendations on:

Identifying materials, such as steel and concrete, as well as pollutants to prioritize for consideration in Federal procurement and federally funded projects
Increasing the transparency of embodied emissions through supplier reporting, including incentives and technical assistance to help domestic manufacturers better report and reduce embodied emissions

Launching pilot programs to boost federal procurement of clean construction materials

With the Buy Clean Task Force now established, the federal government is at the leading edge of using public procurement to increase demand for cleanly manufactured materials, along with states including California, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, and Washington.
..
"

måske jeg bare er meget træt hahahaha

Nå ser det ut til at det er Sinema som er problemet med tanke på å få gjennom en revidert utgave av BBB. Hun godtar ikke å øke skattene for selskaper og de rike. Manchin godtar ikke å øke underskuddet på det føderale budsjettet fordi det er inflasjonsdrivende.
Det betyr at den eneste måten demokratene kan få noe som helst igjennom er ved å kutte ytterlige i planlagte føderale bevilgninger i BBB.
Det blir nok vanskelig å overbevise de progressive demokratene om. Vi får håpe at SEMA som er relativt ukontroversiell blir stemt igjennom.


https://www.businessinsider.com/manchin-sinema-to-budge-tax-rate-hikes-corporations-rich-2022-2?r=US&IR=T

Det settes mye press på politikerne fra flere hold i industrien nå.
Vanskelig å tro at dette ikke går veien for REC!
Som John Neuffer sier: "It’s time to get these initiatives across the finish line"

"The House of Representatives on Feb. 4 passed CHIPS Act investments totaling $52 billion as part of the America COMPETES Act. The Senate passed the same level of funding for the CHIPS Act as part of its version of competitiveness legislation, the United States Competition and Innovation Act (USICA), in June 2021. The House and Senate must now reach agreement on joint competitiveness legislation containing CHIPS Act investments that can be passed by both chambers and signed into law by President Biden. Congress is also considering separate legislation containing a modified version of the FABS Act to provide an investment tax credit to incentivize semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. SIA has called for enacting this legislation and expanding it to cover both semiconductor manufacturing and design."

“Semiconductors are at the heart of America’s economic growth, technology leadership, and national security, so investing in the future of domestic chip production and innovation is a national priority,” said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. “Today’s letter demonstrates the breadth of support – throughout a range of sectors of our economy – for enactment of bipartisan, bicameral competitiveness legislation that includes $52 billion to fund the CHIPS Act, as well as enactment of a strengthened FABS Act. Federal investments in the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem will spur hundreds of billions of dollars in private investments, create hundreds of thousands of American jobs, and strengthen our economy and supply chains for the long term. It’s time to get these initiatives across the finish line.”

https://www.semiconductors.org/broad-coalition-of-business-and-labor-groups-urges-congress-to-fund-chips-act-enact-strengthened-fabs-act-to-boost-domestic-semiconductor-research-design-manufacturing/

Feb. 16, 2022

2021 USTR Report to Congress on China's WTO Compliance
https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/enforcement/WTO/2021%20USTR%20Report%20to%20Congress%20on%20China's%20WTO%20Compliance.pdf
FEBRUARY 16, 2022
"
WASHINGTON – The Office of the United States Trade Representative today released its annual “2021 Report to Congress on China’s WTO Compliance,” laying out the Biden Administration’s assessment of China’s membership in the World Trade Organization.

“China has not moved to embrace the market-oriented principles on which the WTO and its rules are based, despite the representations that it made when it joined 20 years ago,” said Ambassador Katherine Tai. “China has instead retained and expanded its state-led, non-market approach to the economy and trade. It is clear that in pursuing that approach, China’s policies and practices challenge the premise of the WTO’s rules and cause serious harm to workers and businesses around the world, particularly in industries targeted by China’s industrial plans.”

The Biden Administration is pursuing a multi-faceted approach to address the harm caused by China’s trade and economic policies through both bilateral engagement with China and the use of trade tools to protect American workers and businesses. The Administration’s strategy also includes enhanced engagement with allies and partners in order to build broad support for solutions to the many unique problems posed by China and defending our shared interests.

This report was prepared pursuant to section 421 of the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-286), 22 U.S.C. § 6951 (the Act), which requires the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to report annually to Congress on compliance by the People’s Republic of China (China) with commitments made in connection with its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), including both multilateral commitments and any bilateral commitments made to the United States. The report covers calendar year 2021. It also incorporates the findings of the Overseas Compliance Program, as required by section 413(b)(2) of the Act, 22 U.S.C. § 6943(b)(2).

"

Sikke en rapport

"
...
In addition, China has often taken steps to obscure its actions to make it more difficult for trading partners to even challenge them in the WTO’s adjudicative system. The WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism was designed to facilitate the resolution of disagreements over whether an action breaches a WTO obligation, but where the action is so obscured that it is difficult to demonstrate it as a factual matter, the dispute settlement mechanism can fail to be an effective disciplinary tool. In this regard, as USTR has explained in prior reports, China disregards many of its WTO transparency obligations, which places its trading partners at a disadvantage and often serves as a cloak for China to conceal unfair, non-market and distortive trade policies and practices from scrutiny.


For example, for the first 15 years of its WTO membership, China failed to notify any sub-central government subsidies to the WTO, despite the fact that most subsidies in China are provided by provincial and local governments. The magnitude and significance of this problem is illustrated by the five WTO cases that the United States has brought challenging prohibited subsidies maintained by China. While those cases involved hundreds of subsidies, most of the subsidies were provided by sub-central governments. The United States was able to bring those cases only because of its own extensive investigatory efforts to uncover China’s opaque subsidization practices. Most other WTO members lack the resources to conduct the same types of investigations. Today, China continues to shield massive sub-central government subsidies from the scrutiny of other WTO members.

Together with other non-market practices, these subsidies contribute to the serious excess capacity problems that plague industries like steel, aluminum, solar panels and fishing and devastate global markets and foreign competitors
...
"

Renewable energy growth in the US lags far behind Biden’s climate ambitions
https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/16/22937248/biden-climate-goals-renewable-energy-growth-us-lags-solar-wind-batteries
FEBRUARY 15, 2022

International panel determines US must end Canada solar tariffs
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2022/02/16/international-panel-determines-us-must-end-canada-solar-tariffs/
FEBRUARY 15, 2022
"
..
US manufacturing push

Tariffs are seen as one way the US attempts to encourage domestic manufacturing. In another push for US fabrication, House Representative Val Demings (D-FL) introduced the Reclaiming the Solar Supply Chain Act in September. It would allocate $3.5 billion to US solar manufacturing.

The proposed act won support from groups like the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Ultra Low Carbon Solar Alliance (ULCSA). ULCSA director Michael Parr said too many solar panels and other components are made in global supply chains with high carbon emissions, and that supporting domestic manufacturing can leverage American innovation and low-carbon manufacturing processes.

In November, the US passed the Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act, sponsored by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA). The act includes numerous tax credits for US solar fabs.

An earlier proposal Build Back Better Act also had provisions for US manufacturing. Included in the bill was an incentive for the manufacture of thin film PV or crystalline PV cells. The incentive would pay $0.04 per watt DC capacity of the cell. PV wafers would be offered $12 per square meter, and solar-grade polysilicon is offered $3 per kilogram U.S.-made solar modules are offered an incentive of $0.07 per watt. The bill also had incentives for the manufacture of trackers, purlins, fasteners, inverters, and other balance-of-system components.

The BBBA was halted in December, when Sen. Joe Manchin pulled back his must-have vote in a last-minute surprise to the nation.
"

"
You understand that some solar manufacturers have sustainability issues. You want to buy better solar panels. How do you do that?

Tools like the Global Electronics Council's ecolabels and the CERTISOLIS certification give solar buyers important information about carbon footprints as they evaluate panels. Choosing better solar sends a powerful signal to module makers: reduce carbon emissions in your solar manufacturing, and you’ll have customers.  

Decarbonizing the solar supply chain will mean more manufacturing in the US, EU and other low-carbon economies, bolstering the economy and providing a robust supply of ultra low-carbon solar panels to meet growing demand.  

#solar #manufacturing #supplychain
"
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ultra-low-carbon-solar-alliance_another-green-check-for-the-lead-free1-rec-activity-6899728118144471041-kRyC
FEBRUARY 15, 2022

Rooftop solar price to keep rising this year
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2022/02/16/rooftop-solar-price-to-keep-rising-this-year/
FEBRUARY 16, 2022

China's renewables boom year poses major challenges to western markets
https://www.woodmac.com/press-releases/chinas-renewables-boom-year-poses-major-challenges-to-western-markets/
FEBRUARY 17, 2022

Q CELLS’ ‘most powerful solar module ever’ now available in Europe
https://www.pv-tech.org/q-cells-most-powerful-solar-module-ever-now-available-in-europe/
FEBRUARY 18, 2022

As The World Heats Up, Could ‘Carbon Clubs’ Supercharge Climate Action?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidrvetter/2022/02/16/as-the-world-heats-up-could-carbon-clubs-supercharge-climate-action/#:~:text=Nations%20in%20a%20carbon%20club,the%20economy%2C%20and%20the%20consumer.
FEBRUARY 16, 2022
"
..
One possibility, says a team at the University of Oxford, is for countries to form “carbon clubs.” Nations in a carbon club place taxes, called a border carbon adjustment (BCA), on imported goods based on the carbon emissions it took to make those goods. Covering everything from cars to rice, proponents say such a mechanism would have benefits for the environment, the economy, and the consumer.

“A carbon club does not require international negotiations, hence can be put in place quickly and is a feasible option for governments who are already familiar with introducing carbon pricing,” says Bethan Adams, a research assistant at Oxford Net Zero and co-author of a new working paper on the subject. “At the same time, it allows countries to coordinate their climate ambition and to take advantage of knowledge-sharing and partnership opportunities.”
..
"

"carbon border adjustment mechanism"

Subject: Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/P-9-2022-000631_EN.html
FEBRUARY 10, 2022
"
In the impact assessment on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the Commission stated that the phase-out of the free allocation of allowances under the Emissions Trading System (ETS) would have a negative impact on both employment and exports. This is even more worrying considering that the carbon price is now much higher than the assumptions in the impact assessment and it could lead to an increasing risk of carbon leakage.

In a recent trade case with the USA, the Commission argued that free allocation does not represent a WTO illegal subsidy because it is neither a financial contribution nor foregone government revenue and does not provide a benefit to EU companies.

Meanwhile, the Commission told Parliament’s ENVI and INTA committees that the coexistence of CBAM and free allocation is not WTO compatible because of double protection, and an export solution is not WTO compatible because it is an illegal WTO subsidy.

Can the Commission please clarify whether it is legally possible and consistent with international trade law:

1. to complement full benchmark-based free allocation with CBAM for emissions that are not already covered by free allocation for a transition period?

2. to implement/include an export mechanism to the EU ETS and CBAM in a WTO compatible way (such as through ETS free allocation for export)?
"

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: Questions and Answers
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_21_3661
JULY 14, 2021