May 22 (Reuters) - Shares of U.S. solar companies fell sharply in
premarket trade on Thursday after the House of Representatives advanced
President Donald Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill, which may end numerous
green-energy subsidies that have supported the renewable energy sector.
Sunrun ( RUN ) led the market rout, with shares falling as much as 33%,
Complete Solaria ( SPWR ) fell nearly 22% while Enphase Energy ( ENPH ), Maxeon
Solar ( MAXN ) and SolarEdge Technologies ( SEDG ) dipped between 10% and 15.6%.
Shares of JinkoSolar ( JKS ) fell 2.3%, while First Solar ( FSLR ) and
Canadian Solar ( CSIQ ) dropped 6.5% and 10%, respectively.
Trump's budget package - which he calls "one big beautiful bill" - would
eliminate funding established under the Biden Administration's Inflation
Reduction Act and repeal grants intended to reduce air pollution, greenhouse gas
emissions or purchase electric heavy-duty vehicles.
The bill would remove the 30% federal tax credit for taxpayers who install
solar rooftop systems, posing a significant challenge to the industry.
While the industry anticipated the gradual phase-out of wind and solar tax
credits, the new version of the bill accelerates this timeline, Raymond James
analyst Pavel Molchanov told Reuters.
As per the new proposed timeline, solar or wind projects must begin
construction within 60 days of the bill's enactment and finish construction by
year-end 2028. Otherwise, they will no longer be eligible for tax credits.
Clean energy stakeholders now turn their attention to the Senate, where the
bill is headed next before it is sent to the president, hoping it will reverse
many of the proposed revisions to the IRA.
"While the bill is in the Senate, the solar and wind industries will
actively lobby to reverse the new changes made by the House," Molchanov added.