Solar boom or bust? Companies seek tariffs on solar imports

Cheap solar panels imported from China and other countries have led to a boom in the U.S. solar industry, where rooftop and other installations have surged 10-fold since 2011. (Photo by Kimco Realty/Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0)

WASHINGTON — Cheap solar panels imported from China and other countries have led to a boom in the U.S. solar industry, where rooftop and other installations have surged 10-fold since 2011.

But two U.S. solar manufacturers say the flood of imports has led one to bankruptcy and forced the other to lay off most of its workforce.

The International Trade Commission is set to decide Friday whether the imports, primarily from Asia, are causing “serious injury” to the companies. If so, the commission will recommend this fall whether the Trump administration should impose tariffs that could double the price of solar panels from abroad.

A White House spokeswoman declined to comment. President Donald Trump is considered sympathetic to imposing tariffs as part of his “America first” philosophy.