A Chinese Solar Company’s Fleeting Run in the Arizona Sun

This case study focuses primarily on Suntech’s decision to manufacture in the United States, and its subsequent experience opening and then shutting down a facility in Arizona. It provides an analysis of Suntech’s motives for investing in US manufacturing, explains why the venture failed, and suggests some potential lessons that can be drawn from its failure. In addition to available public sources, this reconstruction of Suntech’s story is the result of numerous interviews over a period of several months with former Suntech employees, solar industry association representatives, and state and municipal leaders in Arizona.