Suniva is an American owned, U.S. based manufacturer of crystalline silicon

photovoltaic Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially ...

(PV) solar cells. Headquartered in

metropolitan Atlanta Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), ...

, with a cell manufacturing facility in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, Suniva has sold its PV products globally. Suniva's distribution network for solar panels covered over 53 distributors and wholesalers, across seven countries.

History

Suniva spun out of

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

's University Center of Excellence in Photovoltaics and the work of Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi in 2007. Dr. Rohatgi is the founder and director of the photovoltaic (PV) research program at Georgia Tech (since 1985) and the founding director of the U.S. Department of Energy-funded University Center of Excellence in Photovoltaics (UCEP). Suniva built its first manufacturing plant in

Norcross, GA Norcross is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, about 15 miles northeast of Atlanta city limits. According to the 2010 census, the population was 9,116, while in 2020, the population increased to 17,209. Norcross is part of the Atlanta metropoli ...

in 2008, which had an initial production capacity of 32 MW and has since expanded to over 400 MW. In July 2014, Suniva announced its 200 MW module facility in

Saginaw, MI Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, ...

. Following a successful reorganization and exit from Bankruptcy in 2019, Suniva is now owned by Lion Point Capital, a New York based investment firm.

2017 Sections 201 & 202 Trade Complaint

In April 2017, Suniva filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

. Then the company filed trade complaints against its international competitors under Sections 201 and 202 of the Trade Act of 1974 with the ITC eight days later. It asks for “global safeguard relief” from imports of crystalline silicon solar PV cells and modules.

SolarWorld SolarWorld is a German company dedicated to the manufacture and marketing of photovoltaic products worldwide by integrating all components of the solar value chain, from feedstock (polysilicon) to module production, from trade with solar panels ...

joined the complaint a month later. Opposition within the industry was fierce, with opponents arguing forcefully that a favorable finding on the trade case would destroy the rooftop solar industry by raising the prices of solar modules to unaffordable levels. Suniva and SolarWorld disputed the claims, suggesting that not only would a favorable decision not harm the industry but in fact would create 114,800 jobs instead. Initially only supported by the Congresspeople who represented Suniva and SolarWorld's districts, as decision day got closer, more groups came to support the trade petition. The USITC rendered a unanimous (4/4) decision on Sept. 22 that imports of solar panels had injured domestic manufacturers. Both Suniva and SolarWorld offered their suggestions to the USITC on September 28, 2017. On 22 January 2018, the Trump administration applied a tariff of 30 percent to imported solar panels. The tariff will last one year before stepping down to 25 percent in 2019, 20 percent in 2020, and 15 percent in 2021. The tariff expired in 2022.

References

{{Reflist Photovoltaics manufacturers