Washington, DC – In a report released today, GTM Research found that the U.S. Department of Commerce's new preliminary countervailing duty determination is already affecting solar module prices within the United States, and predicted tariffs will raise prices on modules imported from China by 14%. In response to the report, Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy (CASE) President Jigar Shah released the following statement:

"Today's GTM Research report puts hard numbers behind a truth that U.S. solar companies already understood – new tariffs from the Department of Commerce are raising the price of solar power and are bad for the American solar industry. The DOC's trade determination threatens thousands of jobs in installation, manufacturing, project development, and other sectors of the industry, and makes solar less competitive with non-renewable sources of electricity.

"This is surely not the result sought by an Administration that has championed the growth of the American solar industry and recently re-installed solar panels on the White House. The Obama Administration has to take a more active role in settling this dispute, which is still ongoing as further tariff determinations are scheduled for the coming months. CASE urges the parties involved to embrace a negotiated solution with conditions acceptable for both sides rather than continued litigation."

For more information about CASE or to join the majority of the U.S. industry in opposition to these tariffs, please visit us at www.affordablesolarusa.org.