The US commerce department on Friday said it has found Chinese solar manufacturers have been avoiding tariffs by assembling panels for export to America in south-east Asia. The preliminary findings are the result of a long-running probe into China’s dominance over the solar industry’s supply chain.
It comes as a blow to US solar installers as it raises the prospect of potential disruptions and more costly imports from a region the sector relies on for about 80 per cent of its supplies. American parts manufacturers welcomed the result.
Abigail Ross Hopper, head of the Solar Energy Industries Association, called the decision “disappointing” and said it would “strand billions of dollars’ worth of American clean energy investments”.