Suncast

Anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) are nothing new; they have plagued US-based solar developers and decision-makers since 2011. These duties, aimed at preventing unfair trade practices, greatly impact pricing and timelines of solar projects and generally seed uncertainty in the marketplace (at the outset, at least).  We now have a new round of trade investigations being undertaken by the US Dept. of Commerce. What’s at stake, and who will be most impacted?AD/CVD investigations were initiated 13 years ago to address concerns in the marketplace that Chinese-based solar module manufacturers were unfairly influencing fair market price of solar panels through dumping and government subsidies. On May 15th, 2024, the International Trade Administration (ITA) announced a new investigation into PV cells.  This time, however, it goes beyond mainland China and focuses on 4 additional countries of origin — Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia — countries that presently supply about 8