A trade dispute threatens America’s booming solar industry
Civil war breaks out between two troubled firms and many of their solar peers
LAST year California Solar Systems (CSS), a small installer of residential solar panels, decided to “Buy American”. It turned to Suniva, a Chinese-owned firm that makes photovoltaic panels in Georgia and Michigan, rather than use cheap imports. But according to CSS’s boss, Bastel Wardak, Suniva was unable to deliver what it promised, leading to unacceptable delays. He then tried SolarWorld, a more expensive producer in Oregon whose panels could also be marketed as “Made in the USA”. But troubles at SolarWorld’s German parent put a stop to that. Now Suniva and SolarWorld are seeking new protections from America’s International Trade Commission (ITC). On August 15th Mr Wardak was one of many to testify that the two firms did not deserve them.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Dark side of the sun”
Business August 19th 2017
- Efficiency eludes the construction industry
- Marine contractors have made huge leaps in productivity
- American business leaders break with Donald Trump
- A trade dispute threatens America’s booming solar industry
- Computer-game tournaments go mainstream
- China’s digital-payments giant keeps bank chiefs up at night
From the August 19th 2017 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Could seaweed replace plastic packaging?
Companies are experimenting with new ways to reduce plastic waste
Has Sequoia Capital outgrown its business model?
Venture capital’s hardiest perennial gets back to its roots
On stupid rules and quick wins
Why every boss can benefit from asking employees what most infuriates them
TikTok wants Western consumers to shop like the Chinese
It still has some convincing to do
Will the trouble ever end for Volkswagen and its rivals?
From strikes to Trump tariffs, calamities abound
After Northvolt’s failure, who will make Europe’s EV batteries?
The continent looks ever more reliant on Asian producers