The Biden administration has made the deployment of solar energy a key component of its plans to battle climate change. From utilities to investors to installers, deploying solar energy at such a broad scale presents a number of new and exciting growth opportunities for companies and associations operating across numerous industries. Yet seizing on these opportunities also requires navigating potential risks. In particular, elements of U.S. trade policy potentially work at cross-purposes with the administration’s efforts to encourage the rapid deployment of solar energy.
Currently, virtually all solar cells (the key components of solar modules) and most solar modules (also commonly referred to as panels) installed in the United States are imported. The United States currently does not produce any meaningful quantities of cells, and U.S. module capacity is sufficient to supply…