Ohio’s Solar Manufacturing Race with Southeast Asia

Several major solar manufacturers have set up shop in Ohio, with the state making its mark as a hub for U.S. solar production in the growing domestic clean energy industry. The production of thin-film solar panels, an innovation with roots in the Buckeye State, has helped the U.S. sector keep up with international producers.

At the same time, the domestic industry is facing competition from Southeast Asia, particularly as President Biden impose a two-year exemption on tariffs for solar panels produced in Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand. A Department of Commerce investigation found Chinese companies to be circumventing U.S. trade restrictions by sending nearly complete products to Southeast Asian countries before importing them to the U.S.

The exemption was to come to an end in 2024, which could mean another shakeup in the industry. Solar manufacturing operations in Southeast Asia are building up capacity in producing wafers, used to create solar cells, to avoid the tariffs they would face if they were produced in China.

Meanwhile, U.S. solar developers are expanding manufacturing facilities at record rates, in part thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. In this radio series for the Ohio Newsroom, journalist Leila Goldstein will explore the efforts of both Ohio and Southeast Asia-based companies in the global solar manufacturing race.