A Federal Agency Just Put America ’s Solar Power Industry in Danger

The future of solar power in the U.S. was thrown into question Friday by a closely watched federal ruling. The International Trade Commission, an agency that advises on some trade issues, ruled that Chinese solar panel imports threaten American manufacturers, giving the White House authority to impose a tariff on imports of solar panel. Such a measure would dramatically increase the cost of solar panels in the U.S., making the electricity source less competitive with fossil fuels like natural gas and coal. The case was brought by two U.S. solar panel manufacturers — Suniva and SolarWorld — that have struggled to compete in recent years as Chinese manufacturers slashed solar panel prices and U.S. energy companies bought and installed them. “Without temporary relief, there will likely be no existing American [solar] cells or modules industry within a short period of time,” wrote Suniva in a federal complaint. “Relief is necessary to prevent the permanent loss of a competitive domestic industry.” While the ruling could protect American solar panel manufacturers from foreign competition, it could also threaten other sectors of the solar power industry — and renewable energy in the U.S. as a whole. Thousands of Americans rely on the solar industry for jobs installing, repairing and operating solar panels, whether those panels are made in the U.S. or not. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has claimed that a tariff could cost 8...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized energy onetime Source Type: news