Lhe managers of one of the last two producers of solar panels in France, Systovi, have alerted the public authorities about the extremely worrying situation in the national photovoltaic sector. Stocks are desperately accumulating in their factory in Carquefou (Loire-Atlantique).
Due to a lack of new orders, the company was forced to eliminate the night shift, plunging hundreds of employees into worry for their professional future and that of the sector.
The Systovi situation is not an isolated case since all European companies in the sector are in danger. Thus the last German solar panel producer, Meyer Burger, has just announced the relocation of its production to the United States, while five other European producers, notably in Austria and the Netherlands, are permanently closing their doors.
A trade war
Beyond jobs, it is exceptional know-how, essential to the energy transition that we risk losing. If we do nothing within six weeks, more than two thousand jobs could disappear, and with them, our energy and industrial sovereignty.
How can we explain such a situation when European demand for solar panels is growing every day and Europe has set itself very ambitious objectives for the development of renewable energies which should guarantee producers full order books for many years?
Free trade is responsible for this massacre. China has decided to wage a trade war against its competitors, selling solar panels below their production cost thanks to massive subsidies.
While the European Union has remained passive, the United States has rightly put in place customs barriers preventing Chinese solar panels from entering their market. A measure that President Biden has coupled with a massive plan to subsidize his industry, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), to revive the local sector and no longer depend on foreign production.
Naivete
China has therefore shifted its production to Europe which, due to the naivety of European leaders, remains open to trade, leading to an unprecedented crisis for the sector.
Before 2023, Chinese solar panels already cost half as much as production made in France, but national producers remained competitive given the quality of their production and the national preference of certain buyers.
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