Thursday, May 3, 2012

New Global Solar Council Calls for free and open trade

The newly formed "Global Solar Council," with members including  Applied Materials, Inc., Dow Corning Corporation , DuPont Company, First Solar, Inc. and Siemens AG, has a brief white paper which, refreshingly, calls free and open trade a requirement for maximizing economic and environment benefits of solar energy.

the Global Solar Council > White Paper:
As a global industry with customers, producers and supply chains around the world, solar PV depends on international trade for its continued success. Accordingly, the Global Solar Council supports a strong, effective, and enforceable international trading system that promotes free and open trade, with all parties acting in line with their commitments and responsibilities. Such a system will allow the solar industry to compete on the basis of quality, technology, and service, delivering consumers clean and affordable energy within a predictable rules-based system that governments have negotiated in bilateral, regional and multilateral settings. In a growing number of countries and regions around the world, however, the growth of solar PV is facing threats from calls for restrictive trade measures that hinder access to markets rather than provide it. For solar to reach its potential as quickly and cost-effectively as possible – thereby providing the maximum economic and environmental benefit – global markets must remain open to fairly traded products. Closing markets will only serve to raise prices, slow the adoption of solar, and fragment the industry, leaving it unable to compete on a global level.

"The GSC believes governments should continue to reduce trade barriers through favorable policy regimes, energy market access, reducing import duties on manufacturing inputs, providing pre-competitive research and development support and other measures that will allow firms to lower their costs and compete at lower prices."

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