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Like most of the world, American developers rely heavily on solar modules and components imported from China. But new U.S. regulations have created a series of cascading impacts across the U.S. solar sector. One such regulation, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), protects human rights by banning imports containing materials sourced from China’s Xinjiang region. However, implementation of the UFLPA has caused massive bottlenecks at U.S. ports as developers grapple with its extensive compliance requirements. In the meantime, the majority of solar imports from Asia are being held for months as they await assessment by Customs and Border Protection, slowing the pipeline of PV modules to a trickle, increasing development costs, and causing construction delays. And, increasing awareness of forced labor issues has prompted more PPA buyers to question the origin of solar modules, delaying contract negotiations. Learn more in LevelTen’s report for the fourth quarter of 2022. Out on January 31, the report includes:
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As Europe’s energy crisis continues, the European Union is increasingly utilizing regulatory intervention to rein in high electricity costs. One of the European Commission’s latest proposals would split the electricity market into two, and compensate renewable facilities at a fixed level that is significantly lower than traditional thermal generators. A key provision of this proposal is expanded government contract-for-difference (CfD) schemes. An EU-wide measure of this nature would place governments in greater competition with corporations for the same limited pool of new solar and wind projects, creating greater challenges for Europe’s corporate PPA market. Our analysis examines the effectiveness of CfD schemes as a mechanism to fund renewable buildout in Europe, and contrasts that with the PPA market, which continues to provide a growing source of project funding. Learn more in LevelTen’s report for the fourth quarter of 2022. Out on February 7, the report includes:
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