The European Commission has dropped tariffs on solar panels imported from China after ruling that the benefits of lower prices to consumers and installers would outweigh any harm to manufacturers in the EU.
The minimum import price, which had been in place for almost half a decade, was allowed to expire at midnight on Monday (3 September).
The anti-dumping measure was first introduced in December 2013 to enable EU firms to compete fairly with Chinese producers, who they claimed were able to sell panels at artificially low prices due to large state subsidies.
The tariffs were extended twice – once in December 2015 and then again in March 2017. The minimum import price has been gradually reduced over time to bring the prices of imports in line with those on the world market.
The European Commission said allowing the tariffs to expire would be in the best interests of the EU as a whole, adding that new renewable energy targets had been factored into the decision.
In July, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced plans to close the feed-in tariff scheme to new applicants from 31 March 2019 without implementing a replacement.
The removal of support for small-scale renewables is expected to devastate the solar sector, according to a survey of installers published by the Renewable Energy Association earlier this week, leading to widespread job losses and company closures.