Analysis says new AD/CVD technologies could raise U.S. panel prices by 15¢/W on top of everything else

A new report from Clean Energy Associates, commissioned by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), outlines how new tariffs on solar cells and panels resulting from the latest Antidumping and Countervailing Duty (AD/CVD) investigation could increase costs to a level that would significantly reduce the supply and installation of solar panels in the United States.

The report notes that imposing an unpredictable AD/CVD on solar imports from Southeast Asia could increase the cost of an American-made module by 10¢/W and the cost of an imported module by 15¢/W. Without significant solar cell production in the United States, American module assemblers would still have to import solar cells, which are mostly produced in Southeast Asia. These higher prices, combined with other trade restrictions already in place, could “seriously hamper America’s progress in deploying solar power.”

“Today, solar energy is one of the most affordable and reliable sources of energy we have to power our economy,” said ACORE President and CEO Ray Long. “Introducing uncertainty into the marketplace will slow economic growth and the good-paying jobs that clean energy creates, undermine U.S. climate goals, and inevitably raise energy costs for American families. This is the wrong way to proceed and could inadvertently cede U.S. leadership in solar energy to other countries.”

The report also includes an assessment of the potential scale of U.S. manufacturing capacity. While U.S. module assemblers could reach 60 GW of annual production, the CEA believes cell production will stall at 12 GW. Without domestic cells, module assemblers will continue to rely on imported products with high tariffs.

The report, “The Potential Impact of Antidumping and Countervailing Tariffs on the U.S. Solar PV Industry in 2024,” can be downloaded here.