China Solar Cells: Commerce Sets Another Off-Grid Panels Exemption From AD/CVD
The Commerce Department finalized another new exemption for off-grid panels from antidumping and countervailing duties on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from China (A-570-979/C-570-980), it said in the final results of a changed circumstances review. Commerce said “substantially all” U.S. producers of solar cells don't oppose a request from Nextpower, formerly known as Nextracker, to create the exemption. As a result, Commerce is adding the following exemption to the scope of the AD/CVD orders on solar cells from China:
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"Also excluded from the scope of these Orders are off-grid CSPV panels for dedicated powering of a single low-voltage device (60Vdc or less) that:
(A) Have a glass cover;
(B) Have an aluminum frame around the edges of each panel;
C) Have a total power output of 140 watts or less per panel;
(D) Are of an elongated rectangular shape such that the long side is at least 3.5 times the length of the short side;
(E) Have a surface area of less than 8,200 cm2 per panel;
(F) Connect to device with 12-16 American Wire Gauge wires between 1200 mm and 1310 mm in length; and
(G) Do not include a built-in inverter."
Nextpower has said the two products covered by its request are a self-powered controller, which measures the tilt of the panels and controls the tracker position, and a weather sensor, which monitors weather conditions to initiate protective measures during extreme weather events.
The exemption from AD will take retroactive effect for entries on or after Dec. 1, 2022, and the exemption for CVD will take retroactive effect for entries on or after Jan. 1, 2022, which is two years earlier than the effective dates listed in Commerce's preliminary results.