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China's Solar Dragon Year 20122013-2-13 (accessed 21 February 2013)“According to the lunar calendar the year of the dragon came to an end on February 9, 2013. A "dragon year" which only takes place every 12 years is characterized by numerous significant events usually initiating/causing profound fundamental changes for the society, economy, and politics. This general belief or superstition certainly holds true as far as the deployment of solar in China in the coming years is concerned, because 2012 was indeed very eventful, since nearly almost every month an official announcement was made, designed to shape the future course of China's solar development in the short, medium, and long term.Mid February last year the Ministry for Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) took the lead in publishing its 12th Five-Year-Plan (FYP) 2011-2015 Roadmap for Solar Development emphasizing to intensify indigenous efforts related to technological advancements in order to ensure that its home-grown solar industry will manage to catch up and eventually exceed levels of its international peers. Interestingly the MIIT openly called for a consolidation of its domestic industry, thus implying the irrational expansion of massive production capacities is by far exceeding the global demand to date and coming years. Especially the latter was highlighted in the “Report on the Work of the Government” on March 15, 2012, released by the State Council in the course of the 11th National People’s Congress. Accordingly, the original version explicitly stipulated “to curb the blind expansion of the solar industry”; however upon discussions with legislators and political advisors this wording was amended “to prevent the blind expansion of the manufacturing capacity of solar energy facilities”. The chairman of the Shanghai Social Sciences Association Mr. Qin Shaode was quoted “We should prevent the industry from over-expansion because many local governments blindly launch projects. […] The amendment is more precise and could help to encourage a healthier development of the new energy industry” (...).Read more on Renewable energyEuropean Solar Importers Defend Chinese in Anti-Dumping Case2013-2-19 (accessed 19 February 2013)“BRUSSELS — Importers of inexpensive solar panels from China said on Tuesday that imposing tariffs would lead to hundreds of thousands of job losses in the European Union, the biggest export market for the Chinese equipment.The claims by the Alliance for Affordable Solar Energy, a coalition of companies that install and service panels, were aimed at stopping the European Commission from imposing penalties in the biggest trade case of its kind in terms of value.The association presented its evidence on Monday at a hearing with the commission, which opened a case in September to determine whether the Chinese were selling solar equipment for less than the Chinese market price. (...)”Read more on The New York TimesSolar panel duty on Chinese imports 'could cost UK billions'2013-2-19 (accessed 19 February 2013)The antidumping case covers exports from China worth 21 billion euros ($28 billion) in 2011. The commission will decide by June whether to begin imposing provisional duties in the antidumping case. It began a second investigation in November into whether the Chinese government was unfairly subsidizing panel makers.Read more on The GuardianFrance launches rescue plan for solar power industry2013-01-07 (accessed 19 February 2013)(Reuters) - France has doubled its capacity target for photovoltaic power generation and offered more financial support to small solar power farms that use European-made panels in a bid to rescue the country's ailing solar industry.Energy Minister Delphine Batho announced the measures, which are expected to spur investments worth more than 2 billion euros ($2.6 billion), during a visit to a solar panel factory in Western France.The Socialist government is seeking to rescue an industry which has lost about 15,000 jobs in the last two years, after the previous conservative government tried to dampen a speculative bubble in new solar power installations. In 2012 the industry employed 18,000 people, down from 32,500 in 2010. (...)Read more on ReutersRead moreEU to register Chinese solar panels in move toward duties: sourcesEU and China stumble towards solar trade warPunitive tariffs to hurt EU jobs&#160;