The Suniva Trade Case: A Doomsday Scenario for America’s Solar Industry?

On this week’s Interchange podcast, we unpack the consequences of a sweeping solar trade complaint now under review by the Trump administration.

Here we go again. America's solar industry is in the midst of yet another trade dispute.

In this week's podcast, we look at the potential consequences for solar businesses upstream and downstream.

Last week, the U.S. government officially accepted Suniva's request to review the impact of imported cells and modules on domestic solar manufacturers. If trade officials request tariffs and minimum prices at the levels suggested by Suniva, it could set industry equipment pricing back to 2012 levels and installed system pricing at 2015 levels.

A lot of planned utility-scale solar projects would be destroyed, and a number of state markets would be out of reach for residential installers.

If the International Trade Commission agrees with Suniva's complaint, it will send recommendations to the president. And no one knows what Trump will do. 

In an industry already facing a slowdown in growth, high duties on imported solar equipment could be a disaster. But is it a doomsday scenario?

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