Nyheter som angår REC , del 2

Slettet bruker
RECSI 18.01.2022 kl 18:05 207186

Etter anmodning, opprettes ny lukket tråd for nyheter som angår Rec. Send meg forespørsel hvis du har nyheter som skal deles. Foreløpig er kun the man invitert.

Nyhetstråd fra 28/3-21 - 18/1-22:

https://finansavisen.no/forum/thread/131735/view
Redigert 07.08.2022 kl 19:02 Du må logge inn for å svare
Slettet bruker
18.05.2022 kl 08:53 14154

Hvis Mercedes skal klare å ha Sila-batteriet som tilvalg ved lansering av EQG, må batteriet være klart i god tid før bilen går ut til kunder i 2025.
Slettet bruker
18.05.2022 kl 09:22 14075

Enig med deg her. Og jeg tror nok de har nok kundegrunnlag for å kjøre ML greit i 2023-2024. Avtaler og alt er bare ikke finpusset og signert.

SilaN kan bli en veldig spennende kunde på sikt, gitt volumene de tar høyde for at denne fabrikken skal bygges ut til. Prøvde å se litt på tallene, og jeg kommer frem til at SilaN vil kreve godt over 100% av ML sin kapasitet om de ekspanderer til 150GW kapasitet. Store ting. Med det store behovet det er, og vil være for batterier, så kan jeg ikke se annet enn at SilaN vil utvide fabrikken i godt tempo fra oppstart.
Slettet bruker
18.05.2022 kl 09:47 14092

Nettopp , nå må usa ta seg sammen og begynne å arbeide med å bygge opp industrien :
—————-

Elon Musk says the US needs to stop infighting and step up its game if it wants to compete with China


https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-says-us-needs-stop-infighting-compete-with-china-2022-5
Slettet bruker
18.05.2022 kl 10:21 14098

U.S. President Joe Biden visit to South Korea.

"Hanwha Solutions announced last week that it will invest 200 billion won to produce high-performance solar power modules in the United States. It did not specify a location. Another 180 billion won will be invested in ramping up production capacity for photovoltaic modules and cells in Korea."

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/05/17/business/tech/Korea-US-Yoon-Sukyeol/20220517190318788.html
Slettet bruker
18.05.2022 kl 10:24 14054

Ha ha .., blir ny fabrikk i Moses Lake …. Rec sitter i smørøyet og de nye eierene tenker stort … dette blir stort !!
Redigert 18.05.2022 kl 10:25 Du må logge inn for å svare
manman01
18.05.2022 kl 10:25 14044

Europe’s PV industry demands planning reform, manufacturing incentives and greater ambition in solar strategy
https://www.pv-tech.org/europes-pv-industry-demands-planning-reform-manufacturing-incentives-and-greater-ambition-in-solar-strategy/
MAY 17, 2022
(Alternativt: https://pastebin.com/t0KW8yFu)
"
..
Incentivising manufacturing
One of the major constraining factors for solar deployment in the coming years could, of course, be the supply of modules. Manufacturing capacity expansions in China, especially at the polysilicon level, are failing to keep up with exploding demand and while other leading markets such as the US and India have either implemented or proposed incentives to stimulate domestic manufacturing, the EC has yet to do the same.

This is a stumbling block that the Commission could and should rectify within its Solar Strategy, said Justin Lee, president at cell and module manufacturer Qcells. Speaking at a press event on the fringes of Intersolar Europe 2022, Lee said that the existing plans for domestic manufacturing in Europe are “just not ambitious enough” to stimulate the kind of manufacturing renaissance on the continent.

SPE intends for there to be at least 20GW of domestic solar manufacturing capacity in Europe by 2025, but with deployment intended to be many times that figure, that would still equate to an unequivocal reliance on imports from Asia.

The issue here, Lee said, crosses both incentives and manufacturing output. To start, there has yet to be much consideration for manufacturing capacity away from the cell and module, with materials such as metallurgical grade silicon, glass and encapsulants such as EVA all in short supply in Europe. Without a fully integrated supply chain, where European module makers can procure made-in-Europe glass, EVA, steel frames and so on, competitive advantage will still reside elsewhere.

Secondly, Lee stressed that regulators must get real on the incentives required for manufacturers to establish major capacity within Europe’s borders, drawing parallels with proposals within US Senator Jon Ossoff’s Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act which intends to provide a tax credit for each unit of polysilicon, ingot, wafer, cell and module made in America. Without a similar incentive in Europe, manufacturing will struggle, Lee said.

Not every manufacturer and stakeholder shares this view. Dr Peter Fath of Turkey-based manufacturer Kalyon, which operates Europe’s largest existing PV manufacturing centre near Ankara, presented at Intersolar’s industry conference as to how a hypothetical 5GW integrated factory in Europe could be built with a total investment of around €550 million and, crucially, produce solar ingots, wafers, cells and modules at a total cost of around US$0.227/Wp – within a competitive distance of average production costs in China of US$0.215/Wp. The key to arriving at those figures is, as Fath presented, vertical integration – therefore any strategy the EC demonstrates must address manufacturing away from the cell and module if it has any chance of succeeding.

There are other levers the EC could pull to shift demand to European-made products, including a continent-wide application of carbon footprint requirements that have been successfully applied in France. Frank Niendorf, general manager for Europe at JinkoSolar, told PV Tech such a plan could be a “win-win” for the industry, given its potential to incentivise Asian manufacturers to pay more attention to that figure while offering a more level playing field.

Niendorf’s broader hope for the strategy, however, is that it does not introduce any kind of import tariff – Europe’s minimum import price still living long in the memory of those subjected to it – that could block imports into Europe.

“We cannot work without Asian supply. That’s impossible. It will take years to build up local European production and to quickly ramp up 50GW of local production is probably unrealistic,” Niendorf said.

Time is, evidently, of the essence and the Commission faces a delicate balancing task of delivering on the expectations from a broad spectrum of stakeholders. What is abundantly clear, however, is that the status quo is insufficient for Europe to realise its PV potential, and far greater ambition is required.
..
"
Redigert 18.05.2022 kl 10:26 Du må logge inn for å svare
W Heisenberg
19.05.2022 kl 17:00 13459

Håper dette også kommer snart på plass på toppen av alt det gode som har dunket opp i det siste 😊

Granholm 'bullish' on Congress passing clean energy tax credits
The clean energy tax credits were included in Democrats' broad budget reconciliation package that collapsed in the Senate last year.

«They absolutely need to pass and I am feeling actually pretty bullish about it at this very moment," Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said of the tax credits.»

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Wednesday she is “bullish” that Congress will ultimately pass some form of clean energy tax credits — particularly as Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin conducts bipartisan meetings with senators on an energy bill.

The bipartisan infrastructure law that passed last year “is sort of the spine of the president’s clean energy and energy future agenda, but the tax credits are the lungs of it,” Granholm told POLITICO’s Sustainability Summit. “They absolutely need to pass and I am feeling actually pretty bullish about it at this very moment.”

The clean energy tax credits were part of Democrats’ broad budget reconciliation package that collapsed in the Senate last year because of opposition from Manchin. Those credits included extensions of long-held incentives for renewable sources such as wind and solar, but would also subsidize new technologies including nuclear and clean hydrogen.
Manchin has said he supports tax credits for clean energy, but has voiced opposition to expanding credits for electric vehicles.

Granholm indicated Wednesday that updating the nation’s mining regulations to help increase U.S. production of critical minerals — a top priority for West Virginia’s Manchin — could help convince him to support incentives for electric vehicles.

“We’ve got to be responsible in terms of how quickly we can permit and how much we’ve got to move on doing extraction in the United States,” she said. “If we address those things, I think he understands the importance of bringing down the price of electric vehicles because they’re so much cheaper to drive [and] they’re so much cheaper to maintain and to own over the course of the lifetime of the vehicle.”

The Energy Department recently announced a $3 billion funding opportunity under the bipartisan infrastructure law for U.S. companies to invest in processing the mined materials to make batteries for electric vehicles.

“That piece of things, if we’re able to get that in the ground, helps to resolve the issue that he’s been rightfully concerned about,” she said of Manchin.

Manchin has broadly championed working with Republicans to craft energy and climate legislation that would benefit both renewable sources and fossil fuels. He has led four meetings of a bipartisan group on the topic in recent weeks, though so far those meetings have not yielded any breakthroughs.

Granholm pointed to existing Republican support for technologies like clean hydrogen, advanced nuclear and carbon capture that could be included in any legislation.

“I just think there are some pieces that can go along with renewable energy tax credits,” she said, adding that many Republican-led states are already expanding renewable power.

Democrats are also considering a smaller version of last year’s Build Back Better bill that would likely include clean energy incentives and could pass with only party-line support. Manchin is expected to meet with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer later on Wednesday to discuss that effort.

Democratic lawmakers are also debating price-gouging legislation that would give the Federal Trade Commission greater authority to probe oil companies’ actions to determine whether they are contributing to high gas prices.

Granholm said Wednesday that she supported that legislation, but she also blamed the oil price increases on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Let’s just be clear about the reasons for these prices being elevated — it is because Russia was a great exporter of oil on the global market and when countries like the United States and others rightfully said that we are not going to be funding Vladimir Putin’s war and we’re not going to accept any of those barrels,” Granholm said.

The Biden administration has ordered the release of 1 million barrels a day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help ease price spikes that have lifted gasoline prices to record levels and has called on the domestic oil and gas industry to increase production.

But Granholm conceded Wednesday that the SPR release alone will not be enough.

“Ultimately, what we need to do — the strategy that will work best — is to reduce demand by moving to electrification,” she said. “And that’s why the holistic strategy that the president has put forward, which is to try to do as much as we can with the biggest tool we have — which is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve — to increase supply now as other supply is coming online and at the same time accelerate this move to electric transportation, which also obviously addresses the climate crisis.”

And rather than put Biden’s climate goals in danger, Granholm said, people should see the high prices for fossil fuels as the best reason to speed the shift to renewable sources.
The immediate issue with the volatility in prices, as well as the notion that we are held hostage as a globe — the globe is held hostage to what Vladimir Putin’s doing or what OPEC is doing at any time — that this acceleration is critical,” she said, adding that when gas prices average $4.57 per gallon it further makes the case for the acceleration to clean energy.

“Most people see this moment as the reason to accelerate to clean, homegrown American energy, and that’s what we’re pushing,” she said.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/18/granholm-congress-clean-energy-tax-credits-00033369
W Heisenberg
19.05.2022 kl 17:03 13688

@Sen_JoeMachin: WATCH: We can't continue to be a global superpower if we have to depend on unfriendly & hostile nations to produce our energy. That's why I’m convening a hearing today at 10AM in my @EnergyDems Committee to discuss the President's proposed @Interior budget & policy priorities.
https://twitter.com/sen_joemanchin/status/1527282725383573508?s=21&t=LyWtgQH8tWBR_169HhvXpg
Redigert 19.05.2022 kl 17:04 Du må logge inn for å svare
økon
19.05.2022 kl 22:39 13008

Jeg så (og leste) åpningsinnlegget til Manchin, og her viser han virkelig hvor han står, som en betalt lobbyist for fossilindustrien i USA. Han angriper sin egen administrasjon, og anklager dem for å torpedere ny oljeutvinning ved å legge alt for mange hindringer i veien for oljeselskapene. Selv har han brukt nesten et år på å trenere BBB-pakken, som ville gitt grønn energi en frisk start, i tillegg til flere sosiale gjennombrudd. Dersom det vil seg så vel at demokratene får 51 senatorer etter høstens valg, håper jeg de sender ham på hue og ræva ut av partiet, men sjansen er vel stor for at han lukter lunta og skifter over til republikanerne før de rekker det..
Svenn_13
21.05.2022 kl 07:11 12423

Business roundtable focuses on cooperation and investment

During a business roundtable held Saturday, Korean and U.S. companies agreed to increase investment and strengthen cooperation to stabilize the supply of key goods.

Amid the changing global economic environment, cooperation and joint efforts between governments and companies is urgently needed," Lee said. "Mutual cooperation between Korea's manufacturing capability and U.S. technology is especially needed."

Lee Jae-yong, Samsung Electronics vice chairman, Chey Tae-won, SK Group chairman, Koo Kwang-mo, LG Group chairman, Euisun Chung , Hyundai Motor Group chairman, Shin Dong-bin, Lotte Group chairman, Kim Dong-kwan, Hanwha Solutions CEO, Choi Soo-yeon, Naver CEO, Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm CEO, and Gary Dickerson, Applied Materials president attended the roundtable.

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/05/21/business/economy/korean-companies-korean-minister-including-semiconductor/20220521115809790.html
Mai 21 2022
Redigert 21.05.2022 kl 07:14 Du må logge inn for å svare
Slettet bruker
21.05.2022 kl 07:31 12582

Kanskje ikke så viktig for oss, men gøy å se at Hanwha er innovative og finner på kule ting. I en ellers småtraust bransje.

Protecting bees with solar energy

05/20/2022 14:45 | Print view

Today, 20 May, has been designated World Bee Day by the United Nations. To mark this day, Hanwha Group is unveiling the Solar Beehive, a low-carbon photovoltaic beehive.

https://www.pveurope.eu/installation/solar-beehive-protecting-bees-solar-energy
Bob Macahan
21.05.2022 kl 22:25 11752

https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2022/05/us-secretary-commerce-gina-raimondo-hosts-roundtable-president-biden

To deepen our collaboration, the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) and the U.S. Department of Commerce have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the U.S. – Korea Supply Chain and Commercial Dialogue between the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy.
Småplukker
21.05.2022 kl 23:36 11512

BULL! Puslespillbitene faller på plass, den ene etter den andre.
Slettet bruker
22.05.2022 kl 00:53 11611

Låter bra!

Forresten, siden jeg lurte på det, kan det hende også andre lurer: Hva er forskjellen mellom Memorandum of Understanding og Letter of Intent (som REC hadde med Violet Power, men kollapset)?

The Difference Between a Letter of Intent and a Memorandum of Understanding

"The primary difference between the two is that a letter of intent is not binding, whereas a memorandum of understanding is considered binding and carries weight in a court of law."

https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/042715/what-difference-between-letter-intent-and-memorandum-understanding.asp

So there you have it.
Redigert 22.05.2022 kl 00:54 Du må logge inn for å svare
manman01
22.05.2022 kl 01:28 11537

Fantastisk, tak for at dele Bob! (:

Business roundtable focuses on cooperation and investment
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/05/21/business/economy/korean-companies-korean-minister-including-semiconductor/20220521115809790.html
MAY 21, 2022
“..
During a business roundtable held Saturday, Korean and U.S. companies agreed to increase investment and strengthen cooperation to stabilize the supply of key manufactured goods.

The meeting, formally the U.S.-Korea Business Roundtable, was held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul and attended by business leaders from both countries, Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

It was held as Korea agrees to join the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), an initiative introduced by U.S. President Joe Biden designed to strengthen economic cooperation between the United States and Asia.

After the roundtable, Lee and Raimondo signed an agreement on strengthening the economic relationship between the two countries.
..”
manman01
22.05.2022 kl 01:37 11533

United States-Republic of Korea Leaders’ Joint Statement
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/21/united-states-republic-of-korea-leaders-joint-statement/
MAY 21, 2022
“..

Fully recognizing that scientists, researchers, and engineers of the ROK and the U.S. are among the most innovative in the world, the two Presidents agree to leverage this comparative advantage to enhance public and private cooperation to protect and promote critical and emerging technologies, including leading-edge semiconductors, eco-friendly EV batteries, Artificial Intelligence, quantum technology, biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and autonomous robotics. Moreover, the two Presidents also reaffirm their active support for people-to-people exchanges between experts in these fields. To this end, the two Presidents agree to work together to enhance partnership on these critical and emerging technologies in both countries through the promotion of investment as well as research and development cooperation. Recognizing the growing potential for ROK-U.S. cooperation in the defense industry, the two leaders agree to strengthen partnerships in areas such as defense sector supply chain, joint development and manufacturing, including beginning discussions on a Reciprocal Defense Procurement agreement.

Secure, sustainable, and resilient global supply chains are foundational to these efforts. Building upon international cooperation fostered by the U.S.-led Summit on Global Supply Chain Resilience, and by working closely together in the upcoming Ministerial-level summit, the two Presidents agree to continue working together to tackle immediate and long-term challenges in the supply chain ecosystem. Both leaders agree to strengthen the resiliency and diversity of these networks including by cooperating on early warning systems to detect and address potential supply chain disruptions and working together to address sourcing and processing of critical minerals. The two Presidents also agree to establish a regular ministerial-level Supply Chain and Commercial Dialogue to discuss promotion of resilient supply chains of key products, including semiconductors, batteries, and critical minerals. Both leaders also agree to enhance cooperation between our foreign investment screening and export control authorities related to critical technologies, which is necessary to prevent the use of advanced technologies to undermine our national and economic security.

….

President Biden expressed his gratitude for President Yoon’s warm hospitality and extended an invitation for President Yoon to visit Washington at a time of mutual convenience.

..”
Redigert 22.05.2022 kl 01:40 Du må logge inn for å svare
økon
22.05.2022 kl 10:51 10733

Hovedpunktet: «Spørsmålet nå er om koreanerne innfrir forventningene. Hvis de ikke gjør det, er det stor fare for at kursen vil kunne fall tilbake ned mot 15 kroner igjen. Dersom det derimot kommer konkrete og positive nyheter, vil det kunne gi et nytt løft for aksjen. Pareto Securities har eksempelvis et kursmål på 30 kroner.»
FMI
22.05.2022 kl 11:49 10483

En mer relevant forskjell er nok at stater ikke inngår LoIs seg i mellom, men MoU-er er vanlig. Disse vil som regel ikke oppfattes som juridisk bindende, og har derfor generelt språk om samarbeid, møtepunkter for dialog etc. snarere enn konkrete forpliktelser (om f.eks. tollsatser o.l.).
Slettet bruker
22.05.2022 kl 12:17 10389

:)
manman01
22.05.2022 kl 13:14 10153

Korea, US agree to forge closer economic ties
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2022/05/129_329598.html
MAY 22, 2022
“..
After the bilateral talks, Lee and Raimondo co-hosted a business roundtable meeting with executives from companies in Korea and the U.S. to demonstrate the importance of the trade and investment relationship between the two countries.

The roundtable meeting featured 16 companies related to semiconductors, batteries, clean energy and digital sectors. In Korea, the chiefs of eight companies including Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK, LG, Lotte, Hanwha, OCI and Naver participated while the U.S. side included executives from Applied Materials, Bloom Energy, GM Korea, Google, Lam Research, Qualcomm, Corning and GE.

The company executives and chiefs of business organizations here were also invited to President Yoon Suk-yeol's welcome dinner for Biden, held at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul on Saturday evening.

The business lobby groups in Korea gave positive responses to the meeting, saying Korea and the U.S. have developed bilateral relations into an economic security alliance.

"We strongly support the Korea-U.S. economic security alliance, and the business community will do its best to strengthen the economic cooperation between Korea and the U.S," the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said in a statement.

The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) also released a statement saying, "We welcome the upgrade of the Korea-U.S. alliance to a 'comprehensive strategic alliance' that covers security, the economy and supply chains."

An official from a local conglomerate said, "We hope that the meetings of economic figures between the two countries will further boost cooperation and resolve the various uncertainties facing the global economy."
..”
Slettet bruker
24.05.2022 kl 14:29 8932

Hanwha Group to invest US$3.3bn in clean energy over next five years, looking to establish solar R&D hub in South Korea

South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group has said it will invest US$3.3 billion in solar and wind technology and intends to create a solar R&D hub in Korea as part of a massive investment strategy focused on several industrial areas.

Parent company of module manufacturer Qcells, Hanwha Group will invest a total of KRW37.6 trillion (US$29.7 billion) over the next five years, including KRW20 trillion (US$15.8 billion) in domestic industries such as energy, carbon neutrality, defence and aerospace.

Hanwha said that in uncertain times, “the competitive advantage of existing businesses is further strengthened” and that it was “necessary to invest in future technology” to lead the market.

The Seoul-headquartered company plans to invest around US$3.3 billion in clean energy manufacturing in South Korea, aiming to establish a solar R&D hub in the country and build “up-to-date production facilities to grow Korea into a ‘global core base’ that can produce high-efficiency solar products”.

It also intends to “expand the business area for energy development that combines solar and wind power”.

“Through these investments, we are determined to further solidify our status as an eco-friendly energy supply base in the international environment where the need for ‘energy security’ is growing,” Hanwha said in a statement.

Indeed, recently rebranded Hanwha subsidiary Qcells is preparing itself for a competitive future market environment, investing in expanded manufacturing capacities and new solar cell structures, its CEO Justin Lee told reporters at this month’s Intersolar event in Munich.

Hanwha earlier this month confirmed a US$320 million investment into expanding its solar cell and module production facilities in Korea and the US respectively, with an extra 900MW of cell capacity and 1.4GW of module capacity set to come onstream from H1 2023. Once online, Qcells will be responsible for around one-third of the US’ total solar module production capacity.

The huge scale of this total investment is nothing new, however, with the group investing close to the same amount (KRW22.6 trillion) in its operations – both home and abroad – over the previous five years.

https://www.pv-tech.org/south-korean-conglomerate-hanwha-group-has-said-it-will-invest-us3-3-billion-in-solar-and-wind-technology-and-intends-to-create-a-solar-rd-hub-in-korea-as-part-of-a-massive-investment-strategy-focus/
Redigert 24.05.2022 kl 14:30 Du må logge inn for å svare
Slettet bruker
24.05.2022 kl 14:32 8923

Hanwha er på offensiven på mange av sine områder:

I forbindelse med gasskonferansen World Gas Conference 2022, som blir arrangert i Daegu i Sør-Korea, har TotalEnergies inngått en salgs- og kjøpsavtale (SPA) med det sør-koreanske selskapet Hanwha Energy Corporation for levering av 600.000 tonn flytende naturgass (LNG) pr. år over 15 år, med start i 2024.

https://finansavisen.no/nyheter/energi/2022/05/24/7871671/totalenergies-inngar-langsiktig-lng-avtale
W Heisenberg
24.05.2022 kl 19:36 8670

23 May, 2022

A decade into tariffs, US solar manufacturing is still deep in Asia's shadow

This summer, Convalt Energy Inc. expects to break ground on a solar panel factory in upstate New York costing more than $500 million.

Once construction is underway, the company will start gathering permits to expand into manufacturing silicon ingots, wafers and cells — the building blocks of solar panels whose production is now largely controlled by China, Convalt Chairman, President and CEO Hari Achuthan said.

The plan is just the sort of endeavor the U.S. Department of Energy has called for to jumpstart an American solar supply chain and begin freeing the industry from Beijing.

An integrated factory complex like the one Achuthan has in mind could spark demand for American polysilicon, a key raw material in most solar panels, and ease broader dependence on supply chains linked to China, the DOE said in a February report.

If built, it would be a rare win for U.S. solar manufacturing. America relies almost entirely on factories in Asia for the components it needs to turn sunlight into electricity. As of February, most U.S. polysilicon factories had been idled or repurposed to supply the semiconductor industry, according to the DOE. The country had no active ingot, wafer or cell capacity, and little panel assembly.

China, meanwhile, accounts for between 70% and 98% of the world’s production capacity of the silicon-based raw material and components in solar panels.

The dominance of solar companies closely tied to China poses "significant risk" to the U.S. market, according to the DOE, due to Beijing's "documented human rights violations and ... unpredictable trade relationship with the United States." Russia's invasion of Ukraine has further amplified concerns about energy security and China's dominance of critical supply chains.

Beijing has denied committing human rights abuses. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Despite bipartisan concerns, Washington has been unwilling to provide targeted incentives for projects like Convalt's. Instead, the U.S. government has subsidized project development while imposing tariffs on imports that over the past decade have failed to grow a base of domestic solar manufacturing.

Magnifying this tension, a new investigation by the U.S. Commerce Department into whether solar manufacturers circumvented tariffs on Chinese shipments by moving some operations to Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia threatens expected solar installations in 2022 and 2023. The probe follows President Joe Biden's decision in February to extend Trump-era solar tariffs.

"There seems to be no clear resolution of how to rapidly adopt and implement and deploy renewable energy domestically without relying on Chinese supply chains," said Ilaria Mazzocco, a fellow with the Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington, D.C.

After Congress failed last year to pass a bill packed with renewable energy spending, including incentives for solar manufacturing, lawmakers have started discussing new legislation focused on climate and energy security. The outlook and timing for such a bill are unclear. Policy disagreements among Democrats derailed the party's last effort to advance major pieces of Biden's agenda.

The DOE has said the U.S. should provide at least 10 years of tax credits for solar manufacturing, since factories can take several years to build, with the richest subsidies reserved for making silicon ingots and wafers.

"If you're going to maintain a reliable trajectory towards decarbonization over time, you probably shouldn't have all of your product coming out of your main geostrategic competitor," said Joseph Osha, a managing director and senior research analyst at Guggenheim Securities. "This isn't something that's outside the grasp of policy, but it would require a level of [political] determination that, so far, we haven't seen."

Depending on available incentives, the U.S. could triple its panel-making capacity to 22 GW — close to total U.S. demand in 2021 — as well as create up to 8 GW of cell capacity and up to 6 GW of wafer and ingot capacity, according to an analysis of project announcements in 2021 by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Without long-term federal aid, many doubt the U.S. will ever have a solar supply chain beyond piecing together panels from imported parts, the easiest and cheapest step in the process.

"There is a lot of talk about building out the solar supply chain," said Xiaojing Sun, global head of solar at Wood Mackenzie, an energy research and consulting firm. However, "nobody has really broken ground yet, and I think there is a reason for that."

South Korea's Hanwha Solutions Corp. has said it is ready to invest billions of dollars to help build a U.S. solar supply chain, from polysilicon to panels, provided Washington creates new incentives. Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd., which is headquartered in Singapore, has also said it wants to open a U.S. panel factory, contingent on government support. If Maxeon moves forward with its plan, it could offset the loss of a solar panel factory in Alabama owned by Japan's LG Electronics Inc., which in February said it was exiting the solar business under pressure from high raw material and logistics costs.

Meanwhile, Chinese solar manufacturers continue adding capacity, cementing their advantages of scale. By the end of the year, China's JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. expects to have 60 GW of annual panel-making capacity, equivalent to around one-quarter of projected global demand.

"I really struggle to see in the absence of [federal aid] how you get that scale, the globally competitive type of industry that we all really need," said Scott Moskowitz, director of strategy and market intelligence at Hanwha subsidiary Q CELLS North America, which operates a solar panel factory in Georgia.

Despite the uncertainty in Washington, Convalt is pressing ahead.

Equity financing for Convalt's panel factory is coming from current shareholders, and the company is working with a lender that specializes in rural economic development to seek a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said Achuthan, who also leads ACO Investment Group, an infrastructure investor. Convalt has already secured some local incentives.

Phase two of the project — the ingot-wafer-cell factory — is a more expensive undertaking that looks harder to pull off without federal aid. "We're waiting for the federal government to see if they can push [manufacturing incentives] through Congress, which will only help," Achuthan said. Regardless of what happens in Congress, however, Convalt expects to have a factory up and running by mid-2024.

"We're going to find that patriotic [investor] to get it done," Achuthan said.

Constant battle

The U.S. solar industry has been embroiled in trade fights for more than a decade as successive administrations levied tariffs on low-cost imports, which helped fuel demand but drove U.S. producers out of business.

After filing for bankruptcy in 2017, Suniva Inc., one of America's last remaining solar cell manufacturers, pressed the Trump administration to impose new tariffs on imported cells and panels. Without more trade restrictions, the U.S. risked losing out permanently to China "and its proxies in southeast Asia and other global outposts," a Suniva executive told the U.S. International Trade Commission at the time.

Soon after, REC Silicon ASA closed a polysilicon plant in Washington state. The company said it was a victim of Chinese tariffs that cut off American producers from nearly all of their potential customers, China's silicon ingot and wafer manufacturers.

Efforts by the Trump administration to open China's solar market to U.S. polysilicon failed, while the tariffs it layered on top of those set by the Obama administration only boosted panel manufacturing, which does little to improve economic or energy security.

Even with the added panel capacity, America's solar market remains heavily dependent on factories in Asia. For the past three years, the country has imported enough solar panels to meet at least 93% of annual domestic demand, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Biden entered office in 2021 promising to change that dynamic, saying he would accelerate renewable energy deployment while boosting U.S. manufacturing. Since then, however, the administration has taken actions on trade policy that have angered project developers, potentially cutting off supplies of foreign-made panels without delivering a domestic manufacturing strategy.

A White House spokesperson did not respond to a message seeking comment.

The Solar Energy Industries Association, a lobbying group, acknowledges the U.S. is too reliant on imports but has argued tariffs are counterproductive.

The DOE, which has expressed concern that the Commerce Department probe is hurting the U.S. market, in February said Washington should create tax credits for solar manufacturing to capitalize on the "economic opportunity inherent in the energy sector transition." The Congressional-Executive Commission on China, a panel of U.S. lawmakers and administration officials that monitors human rights in that country, has also advocated for incentives to create a U.S. supply chain to "eliminate reliance on products made with forced labor."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a trade restriction in 2021 against a top raw material supplier to the solar industry that allegedly abused workers in China's Xinjiang region, where the U.S. has accused Beijing of persecuting Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. Months later, Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which beginning in June will ban shipments linked to Xinjiang
W Heisenberg
24.05.2022 kl 19:36 8791

unless importers can prove goods were not made with forced labor.

Responding to the U.S. crackdown, some Chinese manufacturers have said they are creating supply chains outside of Xinjiang to serve the American market. However, those expansions have been met with skepticism.

"None of the investors we work with are happy to settle for a bifurcated supply chain," said Anita Dorett, program director for the Investor Alliance for Human Rights, which represents institutional investors with more than $10 trillion in AUM, in an interview. "The issue really is that we need to reimagine our solar industry."

Two most important things’

Among U.S. solar project developers, however, overhauling supply chains and onshoring manufacturing does not appear to be a top priority.

"I think most folks in the U.S. are comfortable importing these solar panels from where they are manufactured globally as efficiently as possible," said Jesse Grossman, CEO of Soltage LLC, a solar project developer.

"What we're actually concerned about is jobs that come from installing and maintaining these assets, the investment that we're able to put into domestic projects that are going up all across the country at increasing velocity and, more importantly, the clean [energy] we get out of those panels," Grossman said.

On an earnings call April 21, John Ketchum, president and CEO of NextEra Energy Inc., one of the world's largest renewable energy companies, criticized the Commerce Department for disrupting the solar industry with the trade investigation after he said manufacturers had already begun moving supply chains away from China.

"From our standpoint, a consumer of solar panels, whether they be domestic or imported into the country, what's important to us is that we have price competitiveness and we have availability. Those are the two most important things," David Reuter, a vice president at NextEra and the company's chief communications and marketing officer, said in an interview.

"We absolutely support a larger domestic solar panel mix and manufacturing," Reuter said, "but that doesn't mean that we're going to sit on our hands for three years and wait for that to happen."

Critics say, however, that prioritizing the needs of project developers has hindered efforts to create a U.S. supply chain.

"The fact of the matter is, I think that our chase for efficiency over the past several decades has really compromised our security and our sense of security," U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told the House Ways and Means Committee in March.

"In industries that we have lost, and we see this also in solar, it is so difficult to rebuild," Tai said. "We end up fighting each other through stakeholders regionally here in the U.S., and we end up fighting our allies over the scraps that are left to us in the global marketplace."

'Bring it all back'

Despite the long odds, a group of companies continues to see big opportunities in onshoring solar supply chains, either in the U.S. or in North America more broadly.

It remains to be seen whether investors share their vision.

In Massachusetts, Leading Edge Equipment Technologies Inc. is preparing to raise money this summer for a pilot project for silicon wafer manufacturing. If all goes to plan, the company will have more than 30 GW of U.S. production capacity within several years, CEO Rick Schwerdtfeger said.

"We are, I think, in a unique position because of our cost advantage. Investors are still going to be attracted to us regardless of incentives that pass in Washington," Schwerdtfeger said, adding, "I know a lot of investors and a lot of companies waiting for those incentives to pass, because other aspects of the supply chain are going to be more dependent on those incentives than we are."

Canadian Premium Sand Inc., which is trying to become the first North American manufacturer of glass used in solar panels, also will be cost competitive with manufacturers in Asia, according to Glenn Leroux, the company's president and CEO. However, Leroux said he still must win over investors, many of whom prefer "quick flip" deals to long-term bets on manufacturing.

With manufacturing incentives stalled in Congress, Convalt's Achuthan said he welcomes the prospect of more solar tariffs from the Commerce Department, hopeful that the old policies will prove more effective than they have in the past.

"We as a nation have got to go through the short-term pain, do a reset, bring it all back to America," Achuthan said. "Now the banks would say, 'OK, the policies are there, I see how difficult it is to import. I'll support American manufacturing.'"

https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/a-decade-into-tariffs-us-solar-manufacturing-is-still-deep-in-asia-s-shadow-70236202
Svenn_13
24.05.2022 kl 21:21 8566

Hanwha Group to invest US$3.3bn in clean energy over next five years, looking to establish solar R&D hub in South Korea

South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group has said it will invest US$3.3 billion in solar and wind technology and intends to create a solar R&D hub in Korea as part of a massive investment strategy focused on several industrial areas.

Parent company of module manufacturer Qcells, Hanwha Group will invest a total of KRW37.6 trillion (US$29.7 billion) over the next five years, including KRW20 trillion (US$15.8 billion) in domestic industries such as energy, carbon neutrality, defence and aerospace.

https://www.pv-tech.org/south-korean-conglomerate-hanwha-group-has-said-it-will-invest-us3-3-billion-in-solar-and-wind-technology-and-intends-to-create-a-solar-rd-hub-in-korea-as-part-of-a-massive-investment-strategy-focus/
May 24, 2022
Bob Macahan
24.05.2022 kl 22:11 8453

Det går hand i hand med att Hanwha vill köpa ingot+wafer fabrik i Sydkorea.

http://m.thebell.co.kr/m/newsview.asp?svccode=00&newskey=202205091847136960104052

Silan gas till anoder har seglat upp som det mest intressanta i ML. Där finns vallgrav som skyddar den affären i jämförelse med att sälja kisel på råvarumarknaden. Men alla affärer och intäkter till REC är sp klart viktiga
manman01
25.05.2022 kl 12:43 8253

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION - SYNOPSIS REPORT
Accompanying the document
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
EU Solar Energy Strategy
{COM(2022) 221 final}
https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-9453-2022-ADD-2/en/pdf
manman01
25.05.2022 kl 14:17 8102

'Downright scary and untenable': Commerce secretary warns U.S. needs to secure a future for its chip industry
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/05/25/gina-raimondo-warns-us-needs-to-secure-future-for-chip-industry.html
MAY 25, 2022
“..
"It is a huge national security issue and we need to move to making chips in America, not friend-shoring," Raimondo told CNBC exclusively at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
..”
manman01
25.05.2022 kl 14:24 8042

Lol vi er virkelig 1% nede ovenpå de her nyheder (:

Hanwha Group to spend $30 bn on future growth sectors
https://amp.kedglobal.com/newsAmp/ked202205250002
MAY 25, 2022
“..
The group is poised to focus on the energy, carbon neutrality, defense and aerospace industries for the local investment.

Hanwha will spend 4.2 trillion won on renewable energy areas such as solar and wind power sectors.

It aims to foster the country as a manufacturing base for high-efficiency solar power-related products by strengthening research and development of the sector, as well as establishing advanced production facilities. It also decided to expand the renewable energy development business that combines solar and wind power.

The group’s heir apparent Kim Dong-kwan, the chief executive of Hanwha Solutions Corp., the energy unit of the group, has been working hard on the renewable energy businesses.
..”
manman01
26.05.2022 kl 12:54 7635

CBP Notifies Importers as Uyghur Forced Labor June 21 Deadline Approaches
https://www.cassidylevy.com/news/cbp-notifies-importers-as-uyghur-forced-labor-june-21-deadline-approaches/
MAY 25, 2022
"
..
In anticipation of the June 21 implementation deadline for the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has begun issuing letters to “known importers” of imported merchandise possibly subject to the UFLPA. This includes imported merchandise sourced from locations or entities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

CBP’s “known importer” letters are issued on an informational basis. They advise recipients that future entries of merchandise subject to the UFLPA may be subject to CBP enforcement action, including seizure, forfeiture and/or penalties, or other appropriate action under the customs laws. Copies of the letters are published on CBP’s UFLPA guidance website.

Even if an importer does not receive a letter, CBP still expects all importers to review their supply chains and, “institute reliable measures to ensure imported goods are not produced wholly or in part with convict labor, forced labor, and/or indentured labor (including forced or indentured child labor).”

The scope of the UFLPA is broad. The law creates a “rebuttable presumption” that goods produced in the XUAR — wholly or in part — are the products of forced labor under section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1307). This applies to all upstream and downstream products, whether manufactured in the XUAR, elsewhere in China, or in third countries.
..
"
manman01
26.05.2022 kl 18:39 7323

Hanwha CEO attends Davos forum as member of Yoon’s delegation
http://m.koreaherald.com/amp/view.php?ud=20220526000651
MAY 26, 2022
“..
Hanwha Solutions CEO Kim Dong-kwan attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as the only entrepreneur among President Yoon Suk-yeol’s delegation, the energy-to-material firm said Thursday.

During the four-day forum which started Monday, Kim met with Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of S&P Global, and discussed the Russia-Ukraine war’s impact on the energy industry and geopolitical dynamics, according to Hanwha Solutions.

Kim also helped arrange a meeting between former South Korean lawmaker Na Kyung-won, who is leading the delegation, and BlackRock Investment Institute Chairman Thomas Donilon. Na and Donilon discussed plans for BlackRock to expand investments in South Korea and spend more than 50 percent of funding in sustainable business, Hanwha Solutions said.

Several others that Kim met at Davos include Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, with whom he talked about the global chip shortage and forming a business partnership, as well as representatives of Rio Tinto, a multinational mining group, and Relativity Space, a US-based space company that makes rockets using three-dimensional printing.
..”
manman01
27.05.2022 kl 21:40 6845

Xinjiang Police Files Expose Shocking Unprecedented Evidence Of Chinas Use Of Forced Labor
https://prosperousamerica.org/xinjiang-police-files-expose-shocking-unprecedented-evidence-of-chinas-use-of-forced-labor/
MAY 27, 2022
"
..
The contents of the Xinjiang Police Files are shocking, and CPA applauds numerous media outlets for their brave journalism and reporting, including the International Consortium of Independent Journalists (ICIJ), the BBC, The Washington Post, and Axios.

A “trove of data, known as the Xinjiang Police Files, provides overwhelming evidence that tens of thousands of Uyghurs have been detained in maximum security facilities — contradicting Chinese government claims that the centers provide voluntary vocational training,” reports Axios. The photos are part of “an unprecedented leak of thousands of images and documents from the public security bureaus … in Xinjiang … where the national government has held hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in mass-internment camps.”

“The leak contains the first photographs taken inside the camps and obtained by news organizations without official authorization. The photos serve as irrefutable evidence of the highly militarized nature of the camps and present a stark contrast with those, previously published, that were taken on government-organized press tours,” reports the International Consortium of Independent Journalists (ICIJ).

“Their publication coincides with the recent arrival in China of the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, for a controversial visit to Xinjiang, with critics concerned that her itinerary will be under the tight control of the government,” reports the BBC.

“A cache of leaked documents detailing draconian surveillance and reeducation practices in Xinjiang has shed fresh light of the scale of Beijing’s multiyear crackdown on ethnic Uyghurs in the region and cast a shadow over a highly orchestrated six-day trip to China by the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet,” reports The Washington Post.
..
"
manman01
30.05.2022 kl 18:21 6513

REC Silicon to restart production at Moses Lake in Q4 2023
https://www.pv-tech.org/rec-silicon-to-restart-production-in-moses-lake-at-q4-2023/
MAY 30, 2022
manman01
30.05.2022 kl 18:25 6490

Lack of European solar manufacturing could cripple RePower EU bid
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2022/05/30/lack-of-european-solar-manufacturing-could-cripple-repower-eu-bid/
MAY 30, 2022
"..
The commission has stated an ambition to drive at least 420 GW of new solar generation capacity this decade, in a bid to wean the bloc off Russian gas. WoodMac has estimated Europe will supply around 331 GW of new solar by 2031 and this week said the commission's “RePower EU” plans have the potential to double that figure.

However, the Edinburgh-based research firm pointed out that “virtually all” of the 60,000 kilotons of solar panel raw material polysilicon it says Wacker Chemie produces each year is exported to China because there is insufficient demand in Europe. Keeping Wacker product in Europe would require 10 times more nearby ingot and wafer production capacity, 21 times more cell production lines, and three times more solar module capacity, WoodMac estimated.

It said hitting the raised ambition outlined by the commission would require three times more annual polysilicon production capacity, 20 times more wafer lines, 42 times more cell output, and six times more module capability. Solar panel raw material costs drove panel prices up more than 20% in 2021, according to WoodMac. It said the polysilicon price has trebled in the last 18 months and is expected to stay “elevated” throughout 2022.
.."
manman01
31.05.2022 kl 08:15 5968

Soaring solar raw materials prices could thwart REPowerEU plans
https://www.woodmac.com/press-releases/soaring-solar-raw-materials-prices-could-thwart-repowereu-plans/
MAY 30, 2022
“..
Wood Mackenzie senior analyst Theo Theodorou said: “The global push to phase out fossil fuels and move to cleaner energy sources has driven innovation and policies that have resulted in tremendous cost reduction in the solar PV sector over the last two decades. However, last year, a perfect storm of covid disruptions, rapid recovery in demand from solar installations, fast-increasing freight rates, and high solar raw materials prices have pushed module prices more than 20% higher. Global prices for key raw materials such as polysilicon, silver, aluminium, copper and steel have all reached multiyear highs.”

Polysilicon, the main feedstock for producing wafers for crystalline silicon solar cells, has tripled in price over the last 18 months. This is due to covid restrictions and China’s power crunch resulting in delays in new capacity coming online. New polysilicon capacity in China has the potential to rebalance the market, but polysilicon prices are expected to stay elevated throughout 2022.

The main European producer, Germany’s Wacker Chemie, produces around 60 kilo-tonnes per annum of polysilicon, virtually all of which are exported to China, as there is not enough downstream capacity to consume this volume in Europe. For the region to consume its current polysilicon production it would need to increase its ingot and wafer manufacturing by a factor of 10 and further downstream manufacturing of cells and modules by 21-fold and 3-fold, respectively. To achieve REPowerEU goals and create a local solar supply chain, current capacities need even more aggressive expansions at 3 times more polysilicon, 20 times more wafers, 42 times more cells, and 6 times more modules.

Furthermore, the price for antireflective ultra-clear glass, the main material used for the front side cover of solar modules is under pressure due to increasing costs of natural gas and tin. In addition, the balance of plant materials such as aluminium, galvanised steel and copper all saw price increases of more than 30% since last year and there is not a lot that can be done to reduce the intensity of use in the short term.

Theodorou said: “Europe is called to transform its energy system in the wake of the Russia/Ukraine war, with the REPowerEU initiative envisioning at least 420 GW of new solar capacity by 2030. But as more sanctions are on the way against Russia, and with electricity and fuel prices showing no sign of slowing down, Europe needs to navigate this high price environment and act fast to develop a local solar supply chain to achieve its targets.”
..”
manman01
31.05.2022 kl 08:17 6026

Hanwha Solutions: Moving in the Right Direction, But Could Be Faster
http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=93729
MAY 31, 2022
“..
Q Cells to turn around in 2H22

Q Cells is on the verge of bottoming out, in our view. Q Cells posted 1Q22 revenue of KRW920.6bn (-7.0% QoQ) and operating loss of KRW114.2bn (loss narrowed QoQ). Based on export prices, PV module spread rose USD0.063 QoQ to USD0.195/W, but remained below BEP (USD0.25/W). Increasing polysilicon supply should trigger a downturn in polysilicon and wafer prices in June, while growing PV installation demand keeps PV module prices on a steady upward trajectory. As a result, Q Cells should start turning a profit from 4Q22. Although China’s lockdown measures and logistics issues may delay the drop in wafer prices, we believe the profitability of PV modules will eventually improve.
..”
W Heisenberg
01.06.2022 kl 07:31 5484

Newhouse talks technology, law enforcement during Moses Lake visit
Charles H. Featherstone, Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, Wash.
Tue, May 31, 2022, 9:53 PM·4 min read

May 31—MOSES LAKE — Recent announcements by technology startups, like advanced battery makers Sila Technologies and Group14 Technologies, as well electric airplane work at AeroTEC, development of reusable rocket engines at Stoke Space Technologies and the restart of production at REC Silicon show a lot happening in Grant County, according to Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Yakima, during a visit to Moses Lake on Friday.

"So much research and development of cutting edge technology in Central Washington and happening right in Grant County, it's pretty amazing," Newhouse said. "It's always fascinating to me to come and learn just a little bit about the companies that are engaged here and the leadership work to make it all happen."

Newhouse said he believes it's important to visit companies in Washington's sprawling 4th Congressional District — which is larger than some states, geographically — to get a sense not only of what's going on but also how, as a legislator, he can help.

Newhouse said Congress has a role to play in encouraging the development and adoption of new technologies. That role includes encouraging research and development through the nation's network of national laboratories, fostering education and job development training to help people move into technical fields and promoting the development of infrastructure to support technology. That can include things like passing legislation to encourage the expanded availability of charging stations for electric vehicles.

"It kind of helps spur some of these technologies to get off the ground," Newhouse said. "I think there's probably way more ways that I'm even aware of right now that government has a role in helping foster and assist us to meet the future."

Newhouse said it is also important for the U.S. to be less reliant on Chinese factories' high-tech manufactured products, and the recent major investment by South Korea-based Hanwha Solutions in REC Silicon that will enable the company to restart solar-grade silicon production in Moses Lake is a good sign.

Pandemic supply chain issues have highlighted overdependence on foreign suppliers of some products, including silicon products, he said.
"I think that underscores the strategic need and importance for the United States to be more independent in some of our capabilities, and not be dependent on foreign sources for anything," Newhouse said.

https://news.yahoo.com/newhouse-talks-technology-law-enforcement-195300807.html