Here comes that trade war over solar panels we’ve been hearing about — the one that will have unfortunate consequences for the domestic rollout of solar power.
A forthcoming study by the federal government could finally set this snowball in motion. The study reveals that Chinese solar panel makers are selling their wares at a loss, either because they have the cash reserves to take the hit or because their government is propping them up, reports Kevin Bullis at Technology Review.
The results of the study are being prepared for publication, and could be out next month. The U.S. solar panel makers who asked for the investigation have asked the U.S. government to impose tariffs that would double the price of solar panels imported from China, saying that unfair pricing has hurt their ability to be profitable.
Some argue that this unfair pricing has been forcing innovative U.S. firms out of business. If that’s the case, U.S. solar firms that are in trouble have a new bogeyman to blame for their woes.
