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Level the Playing Field for

U.S. Solar Manufacturing

Today, Chinese headquartered companies’ global market share in solar products is more than 80% – a near monopoly. Because of the unfair trade practices of these companies, including government subsidies and dumping into the U.S. market, prices in the U.S. are down more than 50 percent in the past year, making it nearly impossible for U.S. manufacturers to compete. In 2023, imports of solar cells and panels from Southeast Asia exceeded $12 billion, and surpassed U.S. installations by nearly 2 to 1. In response, the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee filed a set of antidumping and countervailing duty cases with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate illegal trade practices by manufacturers with facilities in Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Thailand that are injuring the U.S. solar industry. The Alliance represents the leading manufacturers working to build and re-shore this critical American industry.

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China’s unfair and illegal trade practices have inundated the market with dumped solar panels, undercutting the U.S.’ ability to compete. Solar panel prices are down more than 50% in the last year.

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If all U.S. developers sourced 55% of their manufactured solar goods domestically, the solar manufacturing industry would support 900,000 American jobs by 2035.

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Onshoring the solar supply chain could cut 30% of global solar manufacturing emissions.

CRIPPLING OUR CLEAN-ENERGY FUTURE

America's Solar Industry is at Stake

Current market conditions are crippling U.S. solar manufacturers, and the future of this cutting-edge industry is at stake. The American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee filed these cases to ensure access to good-paying American manufacturing jobs, clean energy security, and a level playing field for our domestic solar industry. A stable supply and pricing environment will drive deployment with sustainably made American solar panels.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY & FAQ
BY THE NUMBERS
GET THE FACTS: JOBS
Get the Facts: Climate

China's Dominance is a Climate Emergency

Onshoring the solar supply chain and building it with clean energy is essential to hitting US climate goals.

China: Deliberately Undermining American Solar

If the U.S. does not act now, all of the work and billions in federal and state incentives to develop our homegrown solar industry will be wiped out.
READ MORE

Dumping:

(noun) dump·​ing

  1. The practice where manufacturers in one country export a product to another country at a price that is lower than the price it charges in its home market, or below its production costs. Dumping is illegal under U.S. law and World Trade Organization rules. This strategy is often used to gain market share in the foreign market by undercutting local competitors on price, potentially driving them out of business. The issue of dumping has been a significant concern in the American solar industry, particularly with regard to solar panels and cells manufactured in countries like China. U.S. manufacturers argue that such practices are unfair and have led to significant harm to domestic producers, prompting calls for antidumping duties or tariffs to level the playing field. These measures are intended to assist domestic industries by assessing tariffs to address unfairly traded imports. 

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☀ WHAT WE BELIEVE

LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD

Solar power stands as the most cost-effective source of new electricity generation capacity. In 2023, less than one-third of the 35 GW of new solar panels installed in the U.S. were domestically produced. 2023 concluded with an estimated oversupply of 30 to 40 GW in the United States, with the majority arriving without safeguard measures or tariffs from China via Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. This unchecked influx underscores the precarious state of the U.S. solar manufacturing sector, even with the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act. Unless there are shifts in U.S policy and enforcement of trade laws, persistent subsidization and dumping by these Chinese-headquartered companies will continue to endanger many U.S. solar manufacturers. Achieving a level playing field, one that effectively addresses market distortions and anti-competitive practices, provides U.S. solar manufacturers with a fair chance to compete without impeding the growth of solar deployment.

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☀ WHAT WE BELIEVE

SAVING AMERICAN JOBS

Solar manufacturing jobs represent a crucial – and growing – component of America's workforce, offering local, family-supporting jobs that contribute to healthy economic growth. Dependence on Chinese imports for the majority of solar deployment poses inherent risks, ultimately harming U.S. solar manufacturers and their employees. A Dartmouth University, Princeton University, and the Blue Green Alliance study found that if U.S. developers were to source 55% of their manufactured solar goods domestically, the industry could support approximately 900,000 jobs by 2035, marking a significant surge from the estimated 34,000 solar manufacturing jobs in the U.S. today.

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☀ WHAT WE BELIEVE

ENSURING ENERGY SECURITY

Transitioning from reliance on foreign oil, particularly from adversarial nations, to dependence on imported goods for electricity generation poses significant national security risks. Achieving energy independence is imperative for both U.S. national security and economic stability. This petition underscores the importance of bolstering domestic solar manufacturing in the U.S. From a negligible presence in global solar cell production in 2004, Chinese companies now dominate virtually every component of a solar panel. This overreliance on an adversarial nation, which has previously weaponized supply chain dependencies, jeopardizes the U.S.'s access to a vital energy source. We cannot afford to overlook this situation, especially as China intensifies its focus on key areas such as solar panels, electric vehicles, and batteries. The solar panel was invented in the U.S. and perfected here. We are seeking to enforce the rules, ensure American clean energy security, safeguard well-paying American jobs, and promote the stability of our domestic solar industry. The future of the U.S. solar industry is at stake, but this is not an extraordinary measure we are taking. We are asking that the U.S. government enforce our own trade laws and make our country secure and prosperous again.

We are seeking to enforce the rules, ensure American clean energy security, safeguard well-paying American jobs, and promote the stability of our domestic solar industry. The future of the U.S. solar industry is at stake, but this is not an extraordinary measure we are taking. We are asking that the U.S. government enforce our own trade laws and make our country secure and prosperous again.

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☀ WHAT WE BELIEVE

ACHIEVING OUR CLIMATE GOALS

The near-monopoly China has on solar manufacturing presents a significant climate challenge. Chinese solar products have a much higher carbon footprint than the U.S.-produced solar products because they use coal-fired electricity to power their factories. U.S. solar products have a much lower carbon footprint, with factories utilizing lower carbon sources of electricity such as hydropower. The Inflation Reduction Act made historic investments in clean energy and solar development, but with most of the nation’s energy production still coming from fossil fuels, achieving this goal will require the American government to reduce reliance on Chinese companies and protect American jobs, stabilize prices, and foster a strong American solar industry for generations to come.

☀ ☀ ☀ SAVE U.S. SOLAR ☀ ☀ ☀

LATEST NEWS

Stay informed. The future of this cutting-edge industry is at stake for American solar developers & manufacturers alike.
AASM

PV Magazine: Strategic tariffs delivering results for the American solar industry

For over 12 years, I’ve worked alongside American solar manufacturers to confront illegal dumping and unfair subsidies that have undermined investment, driven companies into bankruptcy and cost American jobs. The solution hasn’t been complicated: We’ve asked our government to enforce its own trade laws. When it has, the results have clearly demonstrated that targeted tariffs work.

Read More »
AASM April 2, 2025 1:43 pm
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THE ISSUES: EXPLAINED

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“China’s overcapacity distorts global prices and production patterns and hurts American firms and workers … It is important to the president and me that American firms and workers can compete on a level playing field.”
-TREASURY SECRETARY JANET YELLEN
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

A level playing field will allow U.S. solar manufacturers to compete and thrive on their own merits, saving good-paying, family-sustaining jobs.

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Powering America's Future with Reliable Sustainable American Solar

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