a new report from Clean Energy Associates and commissioned by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) outlines how new tariffs from the latest anti-dumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) investigation on solar cells and panels could increase costs to levels that would significantly limit the supply of solar energy and installations in the United States.
The report indicates that imposing unpredictable AD/CVD on solar imports from Southeast Asia could increase American-made module costs by 10¢/W and imported module costs by 15¢/W. Without significant solar cell production in the United States, American module assemblers will still have to import solar cells, which are mainly made in Southeast Asia. These higher prices, combined with other pre-existing trade restrictions, could “severely hinder U.S. progress in solar deployment.”
“Today, solar energy is one of the most affordable and reliable energy sources we have to power our economy,” said Ray Long, president and CEO of ACORE. “Injecting uncertainty into the market will slow economic growth and the good-paying jobs that clean energy creates, undermine U.S. climate goals, and will inevitably raise energy costs for American families. This is not an appropriate course of action and could inadvertently cede U.S. leadership in the solar industry to other countries.”
The report also provides an assessment of the potential size of U.S. manufacturing capacity. While US module assemblers could reach annual production of 60 GW, CEA believes cell production will stagnate at 12 GW. Without domestic cells, module assemblers will continue to rely on imported products with high tariffs.
The report ‘Potential Impacts of the 2024 Antidumping and Countervailing Duties on the US Solar Industry’ can downloaded here.
