*In an administrative action on Monday local time, US President Joe Biden announced a series of measures aimed at promoting the development of us solar energy *, including a two-year "bridge" - aimed at easing the squeeze on the import flow of solar equipment from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The US Department of Commerce said that as part of the investigation, it would punish companies found to have evaded taxes, but only after the two-year moratorium on tariffs on imports from Southeast Asia ended.
In addition to tariff exemption, the executive order also includes two measures aimed at promoting domestic production of solar panels and other clean energy technologies. According to the terms of the order, the White House will invoke the national defense production act to give priority to solar energy equipment, reportedly through a series of grants and loans. Biden's new measures will make it easier for federal agencies to purchase goods made in the United States.
This should be to prevent a shortage of solar panels, while the United States strives to strengthen domestic production.
Although solar energy is the focus, the impact of the order will go far beyond solar panels. Heat pumps and building insulation materials are also included in DPA's actions, as well as transformers and other key components needed to update the national grid. The list also includes electrolyzers and related materials used to make hydrogen fuel, which the Biden administration hopes will help purify heavy trucks and steel manufacturing.
In March this year, the US Department of Commerce launched an investigation into whether solar panel manufacturers evaded tariffs by transporting Chinese goods through Southeast Asia. According to the prediction of the solar energy industry association in April, the survey may impose a retroactive tariff of up to 250% on controversial goods, and threaten to reduce the amount of solar energy installation in the United States by nearly half by 2023.
Reuters reported that according to sources close to the matter, at present, retrospective tariffs do not seem to be under consideration. However, the investigation is still ongoing and may lead to penalties after two years of tariff relief.
President Biden's strategy to clean up U.S. greenhouse gas emissions includes the establishment of a clean energy supply chain in the United States. In March, he cited the national defense production act to accelerate the mining and processing of key minerals for renewable energy and electric vehicle batteries. The act gives the president the power to promote the company to obtain federal contracts as a priority to obtain any goods or materials it deems necessary in the event of a national emergency.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo pointed out in a statement today that due to the plight of western countries caused by the drought, Russia has taken military action against Ukraine, which has caused increasing pressure on the U.S. energy market. In addition, it has never been more urgent to prevent power system interruption, achieve energy diversification and cope with the climate crisis, and solar energy is an important part of meeting these needs.
The Biden administration said that the United States will now triple its solar manufacturing capacity by 2024. This will be crucial given the extent to which the United States is lagging behind in achieving its climate goals. Biden once again promised that the United States would reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by at least half compared with the peak in 2005 within this decade.
However, according to an analysis published in science last month, the United States can only reduce energy related emissions by up to 28% by 2030. According to the analysis, the capacity of solar energy and wind energy in the United States needs to grow 2 to 7 times faster than that in the past decade in order for the United States to achieve its emission reduction targets.