US solar panel makers seek tougher 'Made in USA' rules
July 17 (Reuters) -A group of U.S. solar manufacturers is calling on the Biden administration to toughen rules governing a tax credit for solar project developers that use domestically produced components, saying they can get the credit without using American solar panels.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
The Biden administration has sought to expand investment in clean energy, and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act provided tax credits as an incentive to reduce reliance on Chinese-made goods.
Solar manufacturers are counting on a 10% tax credit to developers when their projects use American-made equipment to drive demand for solar panels, cells and the raw materials used to make them.
The administration has also been pressured to maintain supplies of imports that project developers say are critical to meeting the industry's robust current demand.
CONTEXT
To qualify for the domestic content subsidy, the IRA specifies that 40% of the cost of a project's manufactured products, such as modules, trackers and inverters, must be made in the United States.
But, the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America Coalition said a project can get to that 40% threshold by using U.S.-made steel racking to mount the panels and an inverter to regulate the power generated by the sun - even if the panels are made overseas.
SEMA argues that such a scenario undermines the administration's goals of building a robust solar supply chain to compete with China because solar panels are more difficult and expensive to manufacture than the other components.
Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Cynthia Osterman
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
