U.S. solar association warns against proposed tariffs

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), a U.S. solar industry group, said that tariffs that might be imposed on imported panels from three Asian countries would affect nearly 30 percent of the solar capacity in the country that is expected to be installed over the next two years.

In a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the SEIA said the tariffs proposed would be devastating to the growth of the renewable energy sector in the country. 

"We cannot emphasize enough how damaging these tariffs would be to our companies and the entire American solar industry," said the letter which was signed by around 200 solar companies.

The tariffs are expected to affect 18 gigawatts (GW) of solar projects by 2023, the SEIA said, which are enough to power about 3.4 million homes. 

The Commerce Department will  decide by the end September whether to launch a trade investigation into solar cells and modules from Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. Imports from them make up for 80 percent of all panel imports into the country,  the association said in a statement.