Solar’s Growth Stumbles Just as the World Needs It Most
With rising prices and a worsening trade war, the sector is finding it can’t expand as quickly or cheaply as consumers want.
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Cracks are emerging in the global solar industry, threatening to flatten its growth trajectory just as the world needs clean power more than ever.
The sector is being slammed by a barrage of obstacles, with rising materials costs, forced labor accusations and a worsening trade war all hitting at once. As a result, panel prices are rising for the first time in years, and some manufacturers have asked buyers to delay purchases if they can. And although annual installations are still ticking higher, Wall Street warns the pace of expansion may slow sharply if those hurdles continue unchecked.