According to the Washington Post, Biden Administration officials are growing frustrated with the Commerce Department probe into imported solar panels, which the solar industry says has disrupted hundreds of solar installation projects across the country and threatens to derail the White House's clean energy goals.
The IBEW Local 3 installed solar panels on the top of the Terminal B garage. This file photo shows Mary Altaffer.
The Commerce Department launched an investigation on April 1 into four panel makers in southeast Asian countries after a small California-based panel maker petitioned the department to investigate whether the companies were fronts for Chinese manufacturers seeking to avoid U.S. tariffs by shipping from other nations.
According to the Post, 80% of American solar companies say the probe has threatened at least half of their projects this year.
The goal of halving the price of solar power by the Biden Administration is in jeopardy.
According to the Post, industry leaders have publicly decried the investigation on numerous occasions, while officials like Energy Secretary Jen Granholm and White House climate envoy John Kerry have expressed their concerns internally.
The Commerce Secretary said she can't intervene since the probe is designed to be an independent investigation that could take up to one year.
I can't take any quick fixes because we have to pursue the investigation in compliance with the law, Raimondo said.
Mamun Rashid, founder of Auxin Solar, told the Post that his company was blackballed by the industry for starting the probe with its February petition. The response to his complaint is a strong sign that there is cheating going on through the import of Chinese products from southeast Asia. The Obama Administration imposed tariffs on Chinese solar panels because they were concerned that the Chinese government was subsidizing their products. A bipartisan group of 13 House lawmakers sent a letter to Raimondo urging her to look into whether Chinese solar companies are skirting laws.
The president of the Solar Energy Industry Association told the Post that the solar industry is going to be less built than it was during the Trump years because of the investigation.
. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, there have been many canceled or delayed solar projects recently.
The solar panel investigation led to the decision to delay the closing of the Indiana coal plant for two years. Concerns about having enough solar capacity to replace energy production were cited by the company.
The White House was alarmed by the Commerce probe.
The coal plant shutdown will be delayed due to the solar market freeze.
Will the Commerce Department Punish Solar in Asia? (Forbes)
All Rights Reserved © 2024
