THE first big test of Joe Biden’s lofty clean-power ambitions may not be sweeping climate legislation that needs congressional approval, but how his administration manages a solar supply chain that’s already been shaken by the seizure of imported panels.

This week, a major solar-panel maker warned that all imports from China risk being detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. And then a group of unnamed U.S. solar manufacturers filed petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce seeking to extend import duties to Chinese-owned factories in Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand.

The trade tumult threatens to disrupt the U.S. solar market, potentially upending Biden’s goal of a carbon-free power sector by 2035. The United States today depends on foreign manufacturing for the majority of its panels, with Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand the three biggest suppliers, according to U.S. trade data.

“The disruptive and harmful impact of new trade petitions and Customs and Border Protection enforcement action cannot be understated,” U.S. Solar Energy Industries Association President Abigail Ross Hopper said in an email to members hours after the petitions were filed. “The disruption to the U.S. solar market could be severe.”

In some respects, there has never been a brighter moment for solar power in the United States. Installations are booming. Biden appeared poised to deliver the most progressive climate presidency in history — and on the heels of an administration steadfast on boosting fossil fuels, no less. And yet, the industry’s supply chain has been battered by higher costs, including for modules and freight.

Solar panels already cost about 40 percent more in the United States than the rest of the world, according to Jenny Chase, BloombergNEF’s head of global solar research. “U.S. companies that develop and build projects would certainly suffer in the short term as U.S. module prices would go even higher,” she said.

While developers may be hurt, any moves that make imports more expensive would help level the playing field for companies that want to manufacture solar equipment on U.S. soil. That would be a boost to another part of Biden’s agenda — union jobs.

“Trade actions against imported solar products may counter President Biden’s climate agenda,” said Timothy Fox, a vice president of ClearView Energy Partners. “But they also could further his union and domestic manufacturing agenda.”

Last week, four of Canadian Solar Inc.’s sample modules shipped from China to its U.S. office were held by officials due to a sourcing issue, according to the company. The detainment came just months after the United States announced a ban of imports that may have used raw materials originally from Hoshine Silicon Industry Co.

The American Clean Power group that represents renewable power developers warned that “responsible enforcement” is critical for meeting climate targets. (SD-Agencies)