S. Africa’s About-Turn on Solar Panels Raises Industry Ire
- Government scraps local content requirement on panel frames
- ARTsolar, Seraphim Solar will be only beneficiaries of change
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South Africa’s plans to buy emergency power, already the subject of a court challenge, faces fresh controversy after a local-content requirement for solar-panel frames was scrapped subsequent to the award of the tenders.
The 65% local-content requirement on aluminum frames for photovoltaic panels was waived by South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition on May 12. That followed an application by ARTsolar Ltd., which along with a local unit of China’s Seraphim Solar will be the only beneficiaries of the exemption.