A lot of talk about solar trade has highlighted "unfair" competition from cheap, low-quality Chinese modules. But China also has companies making high-quality modules (LONGi, Jinko Solar, Yingli, and Trina Solar were identified as top performers in DNV GL's 2017 PV Module Reliability Scorecard, along with longer-established Japanese, Korean, European, and American manufacturers) and still making them cheaper than European/American/Japanese producers. The greatest difference is scale.
Recently-bankrupt American solar manufacturer Suniva is trying to get the US International Trade Commission to impose a minimum $0.78/watt price on imported solar modules:
Suniva made good modules. But it was manufacturing only 200 megawatts of modules per year. And its modules were not more efficient or durable than good imports. The large, high-quality South Korean manufacturer Hanwha Q CELLS is guiding 5500-5700 megawatts of shipments this year. The large, high-quality Chinese manufacturer Jinko Solar is guiding 8500-9000 megawatts this year. American solar manufacturers can't turn a profit so they don't scale up. And they don't scale up so they can't turn a profit. Jinko Solar and Hanwha can stay in the black at price levels that will bankrupt small producers lacking the same economies of scale.
That said, if you increase production scale you can expect module costs to fall significantly. That's what Chinese manufacturers have actually done:
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2013/EE/c3ee40...
A lot of talk about solar trade has highlighted "unfair" competition from cheap, low-quality Chinese modules. But China also has companies making high-quality modules (LONGi, Jinko Solar, Yingli, and Trina Solar were identified as top performers in DNV GL's 2017 PV Module Reliability Scorecard, along with longer-established Japanese, Korean, European, and American manufacturers) and still making them cheaper than European/American/Japanese producers. The greatest difference is scale.
Recently-bankrupt American solar manufacturer Suniva is trying to get the US International Trade Commission to impose a minimum $0.78/watt price on imported solar modules:
https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060057180
https://www.pv-tech.org/news/breaking-suniva-asks-trump-for-...
Suniva made good modules. But it was manufacturing only 200 megawatts of modules per year. And its modules were not more efficient or durable than good imports. The large, high-quality South Korean manufacturer Hanwha Q CELLS is guiding 5500-5700 megawatts of shipments this year. The large, high-quality Chinese manufacturer Jinko Solar is guiding 8500-9000 megawatts this year. American solar manufacturers can't turn a profit so they don't scale up. And they don't scale up so they can't turn a profit. Jinko Solar and Hanwha can stay in the black at price levels that will bankrupt small producers lacking the same economies of scale.