Suniva
{{Short description|US manufacturer of photovoltaic solar cells}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Suniva
| logo = Suniva-logo.jpg
| founder = Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi
| location_city = Norcross, GA
| location_country = US
| key_people = Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi (Founder)
John Baumstark (CEO), Matt Card
| industry = Photovoltaic Manufacturing
| products = Photovoltaic Cells and Modules
| parent = Lion Point Capital LP
| homepage = {{URL|www.suniva.com/}}
}}
Suniva is an American owned,{{Cite web|url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1148316|title=Suniva Ch. 11 Plan, DIP Lender Deal Confirmed in del. - Law360}} U.S. based manufacturer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) solar cells. Headquartered in metropolitan Atlanta, with a cell manufacturing facility in Georgia, Suniva has sold its PV products globally.
Suniva's distribution network for solar panels covered over 53 distributors and wholesalers, across over seven different countries.{{Cite web|url=http://www.enfsolar.com/directory/panel/4203|title = ENF Ltd}}
History
Suniva spun out of Georgia Institute of Technology's University Center of Excellence in Photovoltaics and the work of Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi in 2007.{{cite web|url=http://www.pv-tech.org/chip_shots_blog/solar_start-up_suniva_sees_plenty_of_efficiency_cost_innovations_left_in_cr |title=Solar start-up Suniva sees plenty of efficiency, cost innovations left in crystalline silicon PV | PV-Tech |accessdate=2011-03-17 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727192648/http://www.pv-tech.org/chip_shots_blog/solar_start-up_suniva_sees_plenty_of_efficiency_cost_innovations_left_in_cr |archivedate=2011-07-27 }} 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).{{cite web|url=http://www.ece.gatech.edu/personnel/bio.php?id=88|title=Faculty/Staff Directory |publisher=School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology}} Suniva built its first manufacturing plant in Norcross, GA in 2008, which had an initial production capacity of 32 MW and has since expanded to over 400 MW.{{clarify|date=March 2016}} In July 2014, Suniva announced its 200 MW module facility in Saginaw, MI.
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.{{cite news |last=Duncan |first=Todd |date=April 19, 2017 |title=Large solar company in Norcross files for bankruptcy |url=http://www.ajc.com/business/large-solar-company-norcross-files-for-bankruptcy/XknGicuGOSI8ourZ8rbxjJ/ |work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |location=Atlanta |access-date=April 19, 2017 }} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/04/26/breaking-suniva-petition-could-start-new-global-solar-trade-war/|title=Breaking: Suniva petition could start new global solar trade war|website=pv magazine USA|date=26 April 2017|access-date=2017-08-24}} It asks for “global safeguard relief” from imports of crystalline silicon solar PV cells and modules. SolarWorld joined the complaint a month later.{{Cite web|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/05/25/breaking-solarworld-joins-sunivas-trade-petition/|title=Breaking: SolarWorld Americas joins Suniva's trade petition|website=pv magazine USA|date=25 May 2017|access-date=2017-08-24}}
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.{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/04/27/potential-disaster-jigar-shah-on-sunivas-section-201-petition/|title=Potential disaster: Jigar Shah on Suniva's Section 201 petition|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/05/24/exclusive-abigail-ross-hopper-speaks-out-on-suniva/|title=Abigail Ross Hopper speaks out on Suniva|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/07/25/coalition-coalesces-around-fighting-sunivas-section-201-trade-case/|title=Coalition coalesces around fighting Suniva's Section 201 trade case|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/09/20/seia-to-the-usitc-whats-next-as-sunivasolarworld-decision-looms/|title=SEIA to the USITC: 'What's next?' as Suniva/SolarWorld decision looms|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/09/21/miltary-vets-beg-usitc-to-dismiss-trade-petition-citing-readiness-and-resiliency-issues/|title=Military vets beg USITC to dismiss trade petition|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/08/14/69-legislators-pressure-usitc-to-reject-trade-petition/|title=69 legislators pressure USITC to reject trade petition|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/08/15/could-the-solar-trade-petition-destroy-the-industry-not-if-it-fights-back/|title=Could The Solar Trade Petition Destroy The Industry? Not If It Fights Back|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/08/25/duke-energy-to-u-s-itc-trade-case-could-destabilize-the-u-s-industry/|title=Duke Energy to U.S. ITC: Trade case could "destabilize" the U.S. industry|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/09/21/why-the-trade-petition-is-hurting-solar-financing-and-what-can-save-it/|title=Why the trade petition is hurting solar financing{{snd}}and what can save it|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/09/26/manufacturing-and-section-201-an-interview-with-panelclaw-ceo-costa-nicolaou-video/|title=Manufacturing and Section 201: An interview with PanelClaw CEO Costa Nicolaou (video)|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/10/02/from-the-editor-playing-with-fire/|title=From the editor: Playing with fire|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-10-02|language=en-US}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/08/09/suniva-solarworld-claim-trade-protections-could-generate-114800-solar-jobs/|title=Suniva, SolarWorld claim trade protections could generate 114,800 solar jobs|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/08/31/the-case-for-u-s-solar-manufacturing/|title=The case for U.S. solar manufacturing|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}} Initially only supported by the Congresspeople who represented Suniva and SolarWorld's districts,{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/05/31/house-representatives-trumpet-support-sunivas-trade-petition/|title=Congressmen trumpet support for Suniva's trade petition (Read the full letter here)|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}} as decision day got closer, more groups came to support the trade petition.{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/09/06/steel-industry-throws-support-to-solarworld-suniva-in-trade-case/|title=Steel industry throws support to SolarWorld, Suniva trade case|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/09/18/clash-of-the-coalitions-pro-petition-alliance-adds-new-member/|title=Clash of the coalitions: Pro-petition alliance adds new member|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}
The USITC rendered a unanimous (4/4) decision on Sept. 22 that imports of solar panels had injured domestic manufacturers.{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/09/22/usitc-find-serious-injury-in-section-201-trade-petition/|title=USITC finds serious injury in Section 201 trade case|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}} Both Suniva and SolarWorld offered their suggestions to the USITC on September 28, 2017.{{Cite news|url=https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/09/28/breaking-suniva-solarworld-offer-revised-proposals-for-trade-action/|title=Suniva, SolarWorld offer revised proposals for trade action|work=pv magazine USA|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en-US}}
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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/01/22/trumps-30-tariff-imported-solar-panels-may-cost-jobs/1056440001/|title=Trump's 30% tariff on imported solar panels may cost jobs|work=USA Today|access-date=2018-02-16|language=en-US}}
References
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