日前，美國(guó)總統(tǒng)特朗普正式批準(zhǔn)對(duì)進(jìn)口太陽(yáng)能電池和光伏面板征收30%的關(guān)稅，受影響的光伏產(chǎn)品大多數(shù)進(jìn)口自中國(guó)。部分美國(guó)光伏行業(yè)人士稱，此舉將限制平價(jià)光伏產(chǎn)品進(jìn)入美國(guó)，并將導(dǎo)致許多人因此失業(yè)。

美國(guó)此次對(duì)光伏產(chǎn)品加增的稅額將在四年內(nèi)逐年遞減。不過美國(guó)今年首批進(jìn)口的2.5千兆瓦的太陽(yáng)能電池將不會(huì)受此次增稅影響。

據(jù)稱，美國(guó)貿(mào)易代表署是在與美國(guó)貿(mào)易政策委員會(huì)、美國(guó)國(guó)際貿(mào)易委員會(huì)等機(jī)構(gòu)進(jìn)行跨部門會(huì)商后，向特朗普做出了對(duì)進(jìn)口光伏產(chǎn)品加征關(guān)稅的建議的。美國(guó)貿(mào)易代表署去年九月就曾指出，低價(jià)光伏面板的進(jìn)口已經(jīng)傷害了美國(guó)制造企業(yè)的利益。

美國(guó)貿(mào)易代表署的羅伯特·萊特希澤在一份聲明中稱：“在幾個(gè)月的時(shí)間里，有一些美國(guó)企業(yè)已經(jīng)國(guó)際貿(mào)易委員會(huì)提起了貿(mào)易訴訟。總統(tǒng)的決定再次表明，特朗普政府將始終保護(hù)美國(guó)工人、農(nóng)民、牧民和企業(yè)的利益。”

雖然此次加征關(guān)稅針對(duì)的是所有外國(guó)企業(yè)，但美國(guó)貿(mào)易代表署首當(dāng)其沖的目標(biāo)仍是中國(guó)。據(jù)該機(jī)構(gòu)提供的數(shù)據(jù)稱，由于中國(guó)對(duì)光伏產(chǎn)業(yè)的政策支持和巨額補(bǔ)貼，中國(guó)在全球光伏市場(chǎng)上的占有率已經(jīng)從2005年的7%猛增至2012年的61%?，F(xiàn)在全球60%的太陽(yáng)能電池和71%的光伏組件都是中國(guó)生產(chǎn)的。

中國(guó)在光伏產(chǎn)業(yè)上的崛起也造成了美國(guó)光伏產(chǎn)業(yè)的分裂。一方面，像Suniva和SolarWorld等本土光伏企業(yè)紛紛表示，面對(duì)低價(jià)進(jìn)口光伏產(chǎn)品的沖擊，他們已經(jīng)沒有任何盈利空間。另一方面，隨著光伏產(chǎn)品的價(jià)格下降，美國(guó)有許多住宅、商用建筑和太陽(yáng)能發(fā)電廠都用上了太陽(yáng)能，從而也令美國(guó)的太陽(yáng)能安裝行業(yè)受益不少。

美國(guó)太陽(yáng)能產(chǎn)業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)表示，美國(guó)此次加征進(jìn)口光伏關(guān)稅的決定將導(dǎo)致約23000人今年因此失業(yè)，其中也包括很多制造業(yè)崗位。并將導(dǎo)致數(shù)十億美元的投資因此被推遲乃至取消。

“靠加征關(guān)稅，美國(guó)造不出能滿足國(guó)內(nèi)需求的電池或面板，加征關(guān)稅也救不了外資控股的Suniva和SolarWorld等公司，但它會(huì)在一個(gè)已經(jīng)繁榮發(fā)展的行業(yè)造成一種危機(jī)，最終導(dǎo)致數(shù)萬(wàn)名努力工作的美國(guó)藍(lán)領(lǐng)工人失業(yè)。”美國(guó)太陽(yáng)能產(chǎn)業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)主席兼CEO阿爾蓋比·羅斯·霍珀表示。

據(jù)美國(guó)太陽(yáng)能產(chǎn)業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)稱，截止到2016年底，美國(guó)光伏制造業(yè)約有38000名工人，但其中直接生產(chǎn)太陽(yáng)能電池和面板的只有2000人。因此直接受到低價(jià)進(jìn)口光伏產(chǎn)品沖擊的產(chǎn)業(yè)工人其實(shí)只有這么多。

特斯拉本身也是光伏產(chǎn)品的使用大戶，該公司對(duì)《財(cái)富》表示，該公司繼續(xù)與松下公司合作擴(kuò)大紐約布法羅工廠的產(chǎn)能，此次對(duì)進(jìn)口產(chǎn)品加征關(guān)稅不會(huì)對(duì)其造成影響。特斯拉既使用進(jìn)口電池，也與松下合作生產(chǎn)電池，并可使用傳統(tǒng)太陽(yáng)能面板和該公司最新的光伏面板發(fā)電。

美國(guó)太陽(yáng)能產(chǎn)業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)還指出，此次加征的關(guān)稅雖然幅度甚高，但還遠(yuǎn)沒有達(dá)到Suniva和SolarWorld等美國(guó)本土公司的要求。

比如2017年4月，美國(guó)光伏制造企業(yè)Suniva在申請(qǐng)破產(chǎn)保護(hù)后的第九天便向美國(guó)國(guó)際貿(mào)易委員會(huì)請(qǐng)?jiān)福Q面對(duì)廉價(jià)進(jìn)口光伏面板的大量涌入，該公司已根本無法與之競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。SolarWorld公司也支持了Suniva的請(qǐng)?jiān)?。有意思的是，Suniva其實(shí)是一家主要由中資控股的公司，背后的大股東是中國(guó)太陽(yáng)能面板制造商順風(fēng)國(guó)際清潔能源有限公司，該公司主要在喬治亞州和密歇根州生產(chǎn)光伏產(chǎn)品。SolarWorld則是一家德國(guó)公司，在俄勒岡州設(shè)有一家子公司。

兩家公司都表示，向進(jìn)口光伏產(chǎn)品加征關(guān)稅，將有利于在美國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)創(chuàng)制造業(yè)就業(yè)崗位。

不過也有20多家美國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)的太陽(yáng)能安裝設(shè)備制造商于去年8月集體致信美國(guó)國(guó)際貿(mào)易委員會(huì)，稱Suniva公司要求的提高關(guān)稅一旦獲準(zhǔn)，將導(dǎo)致美國(guó)的太陽(yáng)能面板價(jià)格上升一倍以上，這將嚴(yán)重影響太陽(yáng)能發(fā)電的成本競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力，美國(guó)太陽(yáng)能發(fā)電的高增長(zhǎng)率或?qū)⒀杆俜崔D(zhuǎn)。

本月月初，美國(guó)太陽(yáng)能產(chǎn)業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)的零珀致信特朗普，要求后者不要對(duì)進(jìn)口光伏提高關(guān)稅。

零珀在這封1月17日寄出的信中表示：“諷刺的是，我們最想增長(zhǎng)的就業(yè)崗位，也就是美國(guó)制造業(yè)的就業(yè)崗位，恰恰受到的影響最大，因?yàn)樘?yáng)能發(fā)電項(xiàng)目的數(shù)量必將大幅縮減。這不是危言聳聽，而是即將發(fā)生的事實(shí)。另外美國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)還有不少企業(yè)專門做光伏產(chǎn)品的配套設(shè)備，如鋼制或鋁合金支架、逆變器、探測(cè)設(shè)備等。如果因?yàn)榧诱麝P(guān)稅而提高了光伏產(chǎn)品的價(jià)格，則這些下游產(chǎn)品的需求也將受到影響，并導(dǎo)致很多制造業(yè)工人失業(yè)?！保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：樸成奎?

President Donald Trump imposed a 30% tariff on imported solar cells and panels—most of which are Chinese made—in a move that some in the industry argue will cut the flow of cheap panels to installers in the U.S. and lead to job losses.

The tariffs will decline over a four-year period. The first 2.5 gigawatts of imported solar cells are excluded from the additional tariff.

The U.S. Trade Representative made the recommendations to Trump after consulting with the interagency Trade Policy Committee and following findings by the U.S. International Trade Commission, which ruled in September that imports of low-cost solar panels have hurt U.S. manufacturers.

“These cases were filed by American businesses and thoroughly litigated at the International Trade Commission over a period of several months,” U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement. “The President’s action makes clear again that the Trump Administration will always defend American workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses in this regard.”

Although the tariffs are meant to apply to any foreign company, the USTR focuses on China. As a result of the country’s policies and subsidies, China’s share of global solar cell production has exploded from 7% in 2005 to 61% in 2012, according to the USTR fact sheet. China produces 60% of the world’s solar cells and 71 percent of solar modules.

The issue has split the solar industry. On one side are a few solar manufacturers like Suniva and SolarWorld that say low-cost imports have made it impossible to be profitable. On the other side is the U.S. solar installation industry, which has benefited from low-cost panels that have led to explosive growth in rooftop systems on homes and commercial buildings as well as massive solar farms.

The Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade organization formed to represent all aspects of the U.S. solar industry, says the decision will cause the loss of roughly 23,000 American jobs this year, including many in manufacturing. SEIA says the decision will result in the delay or cancellation of billions of dollars in solar investments.

“While tariffs in this case will not create adequate cell or module manufacturing to meet U.S. demand, or keep foreign-owned Suniva and SolarWorld afloat, they will create a crisis in a part of our economy that has been thriving, which will ultimately cost tens of thousands of hard-working, blue-collar Americans their jobs,” said SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper.

There were 38,000 workers in solar manufacturing in the U.S. at the end of 2016, according to SEIA, adding that all but 2,000 made something other than cells and panels, the subject of the trade case.

Tesla, which is a solar installer and a domestic manufacturer, told Fortune that the decision has not impacted its commitment to expanding manufacturing, including at its 1.2 million-square-foot factory in Buffalo, NY that is operated in a partnership with Panasonic. Tesla uses imported cells and produces its own cells with Panasonic, which are used in traditional solar panels and its new solar tiles product.

SEIA noted that the tariffs were nowhere near as steep as what Suniva and SolarWorld requested.

Manufacturer Suniva petitioned the ITC in April 2017, nine days after the company sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, arguing that an influx of cheap panels made it impossible for it to compete. SolarWorld supported its petition. Suniva, majority owned by Chinese solar panel maker Shunfeng International Clean Energy, made panels in Georgia and Michigan. SolarWorld is a German manufacturer that has a subsidiary based in Oregon.

Both companies have argued that tariffs would help create manufacturing jobs in the U.S.

More than two dozen domestic solar mounting equipment manufacturers and their domestic suppliers told the ITC, in a letter sent in August, that the tariffs requested by Suniva would more than double the price of solar panels in the U.S. and undercut the cost-competitiveness of solar and reversing its high growth trajectory.

SEIA’s Hopper sent a letter to Trump earlier this month urging the president not to impose new tariffs.

“Ironically, the very jobs we all want to grow, American manufacturing jobs, will retract as the number of projects are scaled back significantly,” Hopper wrote in the letter sent on Jan. 17. ” This is not hype; this is what will happen. American companies manufacture, among other things, steel and aluminum racking systems, inverters and tracking devices. Raising solar prices, as these tariffs would do, would reduce demand for those downstream products and kill manufacturing jobs.”