Solarworld Wants Duties on Chinese Solar Goods in U.S. Extended

 

German solar manufacturer SolarWorld will apply to the United States for an extension of duties on Chinese panel imports that are due to end this year, weekly Euro am Sonntag said.

Chief Executive Frank Asbeck justified his intention by saying Chinese panel makers would still receive unfair state subsidies, according to the magazine.

It was based on this reasoning that the German solar energy pioneer succeeded in getting the duties imposed in the first place.

Solarworld plans to sell more than 60 percent of its panels in the United States this year, compared with 41 percent in 2014.

Solarworld, which was on the brink of insolvency two years ago, by now says it has a 10 percent share in what is the world's third-biggest solar market after China and Japan, a fact that could help it this year to post its first operating profit since 2011.

The United States could install up to 20 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity over the next two years, about a fifth of the total global market, according to estimates from industry association SEIA and GTM Research, compared with about 7 GW in 2014. 

(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; Editing by Alison Williams)