{"id":584461,"date":"2023-07-26T17:23:42","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T14:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/europe-stockpiles-e7b-of-chinese-solar-panels-in-bid-for-energy-security\/"},"modified":"2023-07-26T17:23:42","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T14:23:42","slug":"europe-stockpiles-e7b-of-chinese-solar-panels-in-bid-for-energy-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/europe-stockpiles-e7b-of-chinese-solar-panels-in-bid-for-energy-security\/","title":{"rendered":"#Europe stockpiles \u20ac7B of Chinese solar panels in bid for energy security"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2325e41b22d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2325e41b22d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/europe-stockpiles-e7b-of-chinese-solar-panels-in-bid-for-energy-security\/#A_catch-22\" >A catch-22<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n                            <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Russia cut off Europe\u2019s gas supply following the invasion of Ukraine, it exposed the vulnerable underbelly of a continent largely <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/news\/focus-reducing-eus-dependence-imported-fossil-fuels-2022-04-20_en\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reliant<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on imported energy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To be fair, the bloc responded pretty quickly by sourcing gas from other countries and <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/Alternative-Energy\/Solar-Energy\/Europe-Is-Stockpiling-Chinese-Solar-Panels-At-Record-Levels.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stockpiling<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> it for a rainy day. And, it turns out, Europe was also hoarding mountains of another commodity: solar panels.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some \u20ac7bn worth of solar panels \u2014 or 40 gigawatts direct current (GWdc) of capacity \u2014 are currently gathering dust in European warehouses. That\u2019s enough to power 20 million homes a year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The stockpile is expected to more than double in size by the end of 2023, according to <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rystadenergy.com\/news\/europe-chinese-solar-panels-imports-installations-storage\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rystad Energy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, who conducted the research.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper latest channel-cta hs-embed-tnw\">\n<div id=\"hs-embed-tnw\" class=\"channel-cta-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"channel-cta-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/events.tnw\/hardfork-2018\/uploads\/visuals\/tnw-newsletter.png\"\/><\/div>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/events.tnw\/hardfork-2018\/uploads\/visuals\/tnw-newsletter.png\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<div class=\"channel-cta-input\">\n<p class=\"channel-cta-title\">The &lt;3 of EU tech<\/p>\n<p class=\"channel-cta-tagline\">The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol&#8217; founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It&#8217;s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It wasn\u2019t the war in Ukraine that drove this Black Friday-esque buying spree, however, but Europe\u2019s green agenda.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEuropean countries are desperate to get their hands on affordable solar infrastructure to advance their renewable energy targets, decarbonise, and avoid paying elevated prices for new capacity,\u201d said Marius Mordal Bakke, senior supply chain analyst at Rystad Energy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Driven by policies like the Green Industrial Plan and RePowerEU, Europe\u2019s spending on solar imports has almost quadrupled in the last five years, surging from \u20ac5.5bn in 2018 to more than \u20ac20bn last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An overwhelming 91% of this money was spent on panels from China. The Asian powerhouse produces four out of five of the world\u2019s photovoltiacs, partly thanks to its tight grip over the building blocks of the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 polysilicon, ingots, wafers, cells, and modules.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China\u2019s dominance over the PV supply chain means they can offer quality panels at dirt cheap prices. Today, Chinese solar panels are up to two-thirds less expensive than those made in Europe.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_catch-22\"><\/span><b>A catch-22<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EU wants to source 45% of its energy from solar and wind by 2030. It also wants to produce 40% of the panels it uses <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pv-magazine.com\/2023\/03\/09\/eu-wants-european-pv-sector-to-make-40-of-required-components-by-2030\/#:~:text=The%20draft%20document%20proposes%20that,600%20GW%20of%20solar%20capacity.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">locally<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> within the same timeframe. But, currently, locally-made modules cannot compete with cheaper imports, not by a long shot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This leaves policymakers with a dilemma: wait for domestic PV production to ramp up and risk stalling the energy transition, or import them and risk becoming dependent on China for supply. Currently, it seems Europe is opting for the latter.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAlthough efforts are underway to build a reliable solar supply chain in Europe, the need for panels now means leaders cannot wait until 2025 or later to buy European,\u201d said Bakke.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chinese solar panels are heading to several key countries, including the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Poland, France, Greece, Italy, and the UK.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Netherlands, despite being the smallest country on the list, was the standout leader in Chinese PV imports in 2022, bringing in almost 45 GWdc.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most of these countries imported far more panels than they installed. This trend is set to continue as PV installations lag behind the rate of imports due to bottlenecks such as labour shortages and material shortages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1398635 js-lazy\" alt=\"solar-panels-europe-china (2)\" width=\"1640\" height=\"735\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1640px) 100vw, 1640px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2.jpg 1640w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2-280x125.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2-270x121.jpg 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2-540x242.jpg 540w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2-1536x688.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2-796x357.jpg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2-1592x713.jpg 1592w\"\/><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fsustainability%2F2023%2F07%2F26%2Feurope-chinese-solar-panels-energy-security%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: European solar installations versus imports from China. Credit: Rystad Energy\" data-title=\"Share European solar installations versus imports from China. Credit: Rystad Energy on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share European solar installations versus imports from China. Credit: Rystad Energy on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>European solar installations versus imports from China. Credit: Rystad Energy<\/figcaption><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1398635\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2.jpg\" alt=\"solar-panels-europe-china (2)\" width=\"1640\" height=\"735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2.jpg 1640w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2-280x125.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2-270x121.jpg 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2-540x242.jpg 540w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2-1536x688.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2-796x357.jpg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panels-europe-china-2-1592x713.jpg 1592w\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is not necessarily a bad thing though, as the stockpiles mean Europe has a relatively affordable source of PV modules im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>tely available. However, Rystad Energy does warn that if the panels stay gathering dust for too long they could become outdated and lose their value.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But perhaps a bigger concern is Europe\u2019s increasing dependence on China for imports of solar panels and other critical materials and technologies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe world will almost completely rely on China for the supply of key building blocks for solar panel production through 2025. This level of concentration in any global supply chain would represent a considerable vulnerability,\u201d the International Energy Agency warned in a special <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/news\/the-world-needs-more-diverse-solar-panel-supply-chains-to-ensure-a-secure-transition-to-net-zero-emissions\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> last year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine taught us anything, it\u2019s that when it comes to energy security, don\u2019t put all your eggs in one basket. Or as Mark Widmar, CEO of American solar manufacturer First Solar, <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.euractiv.com\/section\/energy\/opinion\/solar-is-freedom-energy-unless-we-depend-on-autocracies-for-the-technology\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">put it<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u201cSolar is \u2018freedom energy\u2019 \u2014 unless we depend on autocracies for the technology.\u201d <\/span>\n                        <\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/europe-chinese-solar-panels-energy-security\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Russia cut off Europe\u2019s gas supply following the invasion of Ukraine, it exposed the vulnerable underbelly of a continent largely reliant on imported energy.\u00a0 To be fair, the bloc responded pretty quickly by sourcing gas from other countries and stockpiling it for a rainy day. And, it turns out, Europe was also hoarding mountains&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":584462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw-blurple?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/07\/solar-panel-china-europe-stockpile.jpg&signature=f8e7cfe81b9104d5f8343837be637eae","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-584461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=584461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/584462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=584461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=584461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=584461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}