Germany calls for support for domestic solar industry in face of Chinese solar module glut

In view of a glut of solar modules from China, several German states have called for more support for domestic manufacturers. A ten-point plan adopted at the invitation of Saxony, for example, calls for better support for production and research. To this end, the EU's state aid law must be restructured and made less bureaucratic, it says. In addition, it is demanded to ban goods from forced labor quickly and to allow only solar products whose manufacturing conditions meet European quality standards and the goals of the European "Green Deal".

The industry needs the support of the federal government and the EU, emphasized Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU). Because the solar industry is important for the economic strength of Germany and Europe. "The goal is to ensure that development and value creation in this sector remain with us and do not permanently migrate." In addition, the aim is to reduce dependencies on third parties. Saxony's Energy Minister Wolfram Günther (Greens) spoke of a "dumping attack" by China. He said that innovative European companies were being forced out of the market "with state-subsidized prices. Günther criticized that modules would be manufactured in China with the help of Uighur forced laborers.

According to information from the solar industry, the demand for modules is growing strongly, there is talk of a "solar boom." However, China has massively pushed the expansion of its solar industry in the past 10 to 15 years. In addition, many modules originally intended for the USA end up in Europe, because the import of solar technology from regions with forced labor is prohibited in the USA. As a result, the European market is currently literally flooded with modules from the Far East. This, he said, is leading to a huge drop in prices and putting pressure on local manufacturers.