The Art of the Deal - From DCs to BJs

First there were Domestic Content bonuses. Back in the halcyon days of solar Italy and Ontario used these bonuses to attract solar manufacturering. The French more recently used DC bonuses to wave their arse in the general direction of Brussels and Beijing.

In Act 2 you had anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duties (CVDs) take the stage. It's easy to forget it was only last year the US slapped China with ADs and CVDs. The ADs weren't so bad but the CVDs had a backhanded sting to them.

Then things got dramatic...

Recently Europeans, against the better judgement of most Europeans, set up a minimum price floor of 56 eurocents/watt and import quotas of 7 gigawatts on Chinese solar modules. David Cross took the words right out of my mouth when this decision came out. "What kind of futuristic year-3000 science fiction bullshit is this?"

Then there was a humorous aside...

In the midst of the Euro solar price setting fiasco the Chinese proved they're hilarious when they proposed a tariff on European whine... Pardon me... a tariff on European wine. The tariff was a dig aimed squarely at France and Italy who were pushing for the price floor and import quotas mentioned above - Remember these were the same jokers who started the game with their DC bonuses back in the day -  Chinese say... We no rikey your juice.

Now we have the SEIA's idea...

It's a plan straight out of Catch 22. Delightfully riddlish with a hint of whaa. The SEIA thinks we should divert part of the AD and CVDs monies to American solar manufacturers. It's a sort of  STFU buyoff deal modeled after a similar STFU buyoff deal between the US and Brazil involving American Cotton.

And now for the whaa... The SEIA proposes we use part of the AD and CVD monies to set up a Solar Development Institute.

"The Institute would serve as the primary vehicle for fostering long-term collaboration between the U.S. and Chinese solar industries, including joint research and development projects as well as collaboration on environment, health, safety and codes and standards initiatives."

Wunderbar Holistic Applied Ass foundation...

An organization dedicated to developing solar technology, short busses and reach arounds. That's right folks. Our aim is three fold.

1. WHAA is going to focus all its head on developing solar.
2. We're also going to be building the shortest busses ever. These busses aren't going to be short length wise. Our buses are going to be short height wise. Why you ask? Well it's because of part three.
3. At WHAA we're all going to be on our knees at all times ready to hustle for the highest bidder. Handjobs, BJs, you name it. We aim to redefine greased palms.

To repeat, the SEIA is saying we should use some of the AD and CVD monies to set up a Solar Development Institute. What they don't say is that once SolarWorld goes out of business there will be no significant domestic module manufactures to protect with the AD/CVD charges. They also don't point out who would be at the front of the line ready to help with setting up the Solar Development Institute.  OMG! The SEIA has pole position. What a whorish coincidence the SEIA would benefit significantly from their own suggestion!

The SEIA stood on the sidelines during the AD/CVD process last year. Everybody knows a leopard can't change its spots and a cow can't change its splotches. The solution to the Trade War isn't to make an ineffectual bureaucracy like the SEIA bigger. The solution is for the US, Europe and China to kiss, makeup, untie all the knots and commit to working together for mutual benefit. That's a good deal.

P.S. I suspect the SEIA is desperate for money. Maybe that's why they recently allowed E.on (a company with 22.4 GW of coal in their generating fleet) to join their board of directors. I've officially written off this organization at this point. They're traitorous.