A small U.S. solar company on Tuesday announced plans to open a solar panel factory in Panama to help the American industry reduce its reliance on Chinese-made goods.
Universal Solar America LLC, an Arizona company that helps solar project developers procure panels, said its planned facility will help U.S. companies avoid tariffs, shipping delays and other challenges that have scuttled a supply chain comprised primarily of products made in Asia.
A small U.S. solar company with no manufacturing experience on Tuesday announced plans to open a solar panel factory in Panama to help the American industry reduce its reliance on Chinese-made goods.
Universal Solar America LLC, an Arizona company that helps solar project developers procure panels, said its planned facility will help U.S. companies avoid tariffs, shipping delays and other challenges that have scuttled a supply chain comprised primarily of products made in Asia.
About 90% of U.S. solar panels are made overseas, and that reliance on imports has wreaked havoc on the U.S. solar industry at a time when it is working to satisfy soaring demand from utilities and corporations worried about climate change.
Though solar panels are assembled in several Asian countries, the industry’s raw material, polysilicon, is primarily produced in China and has been tied to concerns about forced labor in the Xinjiang region.