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Solar tariffs
太陽能關稅
Sunspots
太陽黑子
American tariffs on Chinese solar panels are dangerous and pointless
美國針對中國太陽能電池板的關稅是危險且無意義的
SOLAR energy is at a delicate,maybe historic, moment.
太陽能正處于一個微妙的、抑或是意義重大的關頭。
The cost of the glassy photovoltaic panels that generate most solar electricity—by freeing electrons from a semi conducting material such as silicon—is plummeting.
透亮的光伏電池板花費正大幅下降，它們通過從半導體材料中釋放出電子而生產了大多數的太陽能電力。
In the past four years their average cost has fallen by more than 75%.
過去四年當中它們的平均花費跌去了75%以上。
At less than $1 per watt of generating capacity, solar is now the cheapest power source in some sunny places, especially those, like India, that lack fossil-fuelled alternatives.
每發1瓦特電量只需不到1美元，太陽能現在是一些光照充足地區最廉價的能源，尤其是在那些缺少化石燃料替代物的地方，比如印度。
This is starting to look like a revolution.
這開始看起來像是一場革命。
Everyone who wants a reliable and nonpolluting energy supply, you would think, would welcome that.
你也許會想，每一個想要可靠且無污染的能源供給的人都將歡迎它。
But on May 17th America's Commerce Department slapped a provisional tariff of 31% on 61 Chinese makers of solar panels, including some of the cheapest in the business.
然而5月17日美國商務部對61家中國的太陽能板制造商強征31%的臨時性關稅。
Another group of unnamed Chinese solar companies, which failed to respond satisfactorily to the department's inquiries, were hit with a 250% tariff.
另一批未被提及的中國太陽能公司則因未能對該部門的詢問給出滿意的答復，受到了250%的關稅的打擊。
These duties, which are expected to be confirmed in October, were in response to an anti-dumping complaint from seven solar firms including Solar World, a German company with operations in America.
預計將于10月被批準，這些關稅是針對一起由7家太陽能公司提起的反傾銷訴訟所做出的回應，當中包括一家在美國運營的德國公司SolarWorld。
China's panelmaking industry has seen explosive growth, fuelled by strong demand, mainly from Europe, but also by soft loans from state-owned lenders.
在強勁的需求以及國有出借方的寬松貸款刺激下，中國的電池板生產行業經歷了爆炸式增長。
Chinese panelmakers are reckoned by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, a research firm, to be able to make panels for around 10% less than the industry's average cost.
研究公司彭博新能源財經認為，中國的電池板制造商能夠以低于行業平均成本10%左右來生產電池板。
They have undercut European and American producers:
他們正用低價策略削弱歐美制造商：
between 2009 and 2011 the value of American imports of cheap Chinese panels soared from $640m to $3.1 billion.
在2009年到2011年間，美國進口的廉價中國電池板的貨值從6400萬美元激增到31億美元。
This has brought misery to higher-cost producers,
這讓高成本的制造商處境艱難，
which a recent slowdown in demand for solar panels, caused mostly by reductions in European and American subsidies, has greatly exacerbated.
而近期主要受到歐美補貼減少的影響，太陽能電池板需求放緩，更是雪上加霜。
Many solar firms, Chinese and otherwise, are now furiously selling inventory—the bane of an industry where prices are falling—at a loss.
許多太陽能公司都在虧損，中國的還是其他地方的，都正在虧本極力消化庫存，而價格下跌是一個行業災禍降臨的原因。
Some have gone bust, including recently a clutch of once-pioneering German firms such as Solarhybrid, Solon, Solar Millennium and Q-Cells.
一些公司走向破產，包括最近的一撮昔日里先驅級的德國公司，比如Solarhybrid，Solon，Solar Millennium，以及Q-Cells.
The American tariffs, if confirmed, will annoy Chinese panelmakers—and perhaps a wide array of American exporters, too, if China's “strongly dissatisfied” government launches retaliatory measures.
美國的關稅如獲批準，將會惹怒中國的電池板制造商，而如果中國“強烈不滿”的政府展開報復性措施的話，被惹怒的也許還有大批的美國出口商。
But they are unlikely to save many Western solar firms.
但是關稅不太可能拯救太多西方國家的太陽能公司。
The tariffs were long mooted, which has allowed Chinese exporters to build large inventories in the United States.
關稅有很長的醞釀期，這讓中國的出口商在美國積攢了大量庫存。
Some developers of American solar projects have also signed precautionary deals, committing their Chinese suppliers to covering the cost of the mooted tariffs.
一些美國的太陽能工程開發商也簽訂了預防性交易，答應替他們的中國供應商承擔長期的關稅成本。
The most integrated Chinese solar firms,
中國最完善的太陽能公司，
such as SunTech, the world's biggest panel-maker, could probably stomach this, because panels represent less than a quarter of the cost of installed solar generating capacity.
比如世界最大的電池板生產商尚德，可能能夠承受的了，因為電池板只占太陽能發電設備安裝費用的1/4以下。
Financing, installation and other infrastructure costs account for the rest.
其余的成本在融資、安裝以及其它基礎設施上。
They will also look to make or buy panels in other Asian manufacturing hubs, such as Taiwan and South Korea.
他們同樣會尋求在其他亞洲制造業中心，比如臺灣、韓國，去生產或購買電池板。
These panels will not be subject to the tariffs, even if they are assembled into solar modules in China.
這些電池板不受關稅影響，即便它們是由在中國制造的太陽能原件組裝而成。
Whatever the legal merits of SolarWorld's complaint, America will help neither the planet nor its own domestic consumers by shutting out Chinese solar panels.
無論SolarWorld公司的控告在法律上有何優點，美國將中國的太陽能電池板拒之門外既不會幫到這個星球，也不會幫到自己國內的消費者。
And, predicts BNEF's Nat Bullard, the tariffs will not even do much to protect American solar firms.
而且據BNEF's Nat Bullard預計，關稅甚至不會對美國的太陽能公司提供多少保護。
