The US is currently imposing tariffs of up to 3,521% on some solar imports from four Southeast Asian countries that it believes are unfairly benefiting from government subsidies.

Chinese companies have set up operations in these countries to avoid the tariffs imposed on Beijing more than a decade ago.

The tariffs price most solar cell and module capacity in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, according to BloombergNEF.

Tariff transformation in the solar industry

The major Chinese suppliers - including Jinko Solar Co. and Trina Solar Co. - have large production sites in Southeast Asia. The companies will soon publish their quarterly results, which could give an indication of how they will react now.

JA Solar Technology Co., for example, announced earlier this month that it plans to accelerate efforts to globalise manufacturing, including by opening a plant in Oman. More are likely to follow.

Just a game of whack-a-mole?

It kind of feels like déjà vu all over again: This time, production could be shifted to the Middle East or other Asian countries that were not affected by the last round of levies.

Indonesia and Laos are potential winners, along with Malaysia, which faced lower levies than its neighbours, according to BNEF.

However, there is also a risk that the US will simply impose further tariffs in a game of geographical whack-a-mole.

Opportunity for India?

This could also be a moment for India - with the fourth largest solar cell capacity in the world - to gain an advantage over Chinese rivals. Manufacturers are rushing to expand their plants in the South Asian country before New Delhi's import barriers to China come into force next year.

That rush should leave India with a surplus that could find its way into export markets.

The U.S. will need to continue importing solar equipment during the transition to clean energy. That means manufacturers will find ways to avoid crippling tariffs to gain a foothold in the world's largest economy.