A trade complaint filed by six U.S. solar manufacturers with the International Trade Commission that claims Chinese firms sold solar panels below cost may have the effect of driving up U.S. solar prices, according to Bloomberg.
The article says some project developers feel the complaint is bad for the U.S. solar industry long-term, as the Chinese have played a positive role in the industry by keeping costs down and thathas helped companies build solar projects and sustain green jobs in the U.S. China produced 55 percent of the world’s panels in 2010, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The U.S. imported $2.4 billion in solar panels last year, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
The complaint was filed by the U.S. unit of Bonn, Germany-based Solar World AG, along with six other non-named members of the recently formed Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing.
The petition was filed on behalf of SolarWorld by law firm Wiley Rein LLP. A partner at the firm claims that the complaint is supported by a majority of “the domestic industry producing crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules,” the article says.
To read the full article by Bloomberg cited in this story, click here