Trump just dealt a major blow to solar power in the US

[CousinIT]

https://newrepublic.com/minutes/146704/trump-just-dealt-major-blow-solar-power

Trump just dealt a major blow to solar power. As the Senate voted on a measure to re-open the government on Thursday, the Trump administration announced it would impose tariffs of 30 percent on imported solar panel equipment, a move that will essentially make it very expensive for Americans to buy the products from Chinese companies. That’s alarming to most renewable energy advocates, since America’s ability to get inexpensive solar panels from China is partially why America has seen stunning increases in solar-powered electricity generation over the last decade. At least 40 percent of solar panels used in America are Chinese-made.

“The tariffs requested by Suniva would more than double the price of solar panels in the U.S., undercutting the cost-competitiveness of solar and reversing its high growth trajectory,” a group of 27 manufacturers wrote in a letter to the International Trade Commission in August. “We would be forced to cut our operations, seriously endangering manufacturing jobs at our factories.” The Solar Energy Industries Association, the solar industry trade group, estimates that 88,000 jobs in solar could be lost—more jobs than the entire U.S. coal industry. (The solar industry currently employs about 260,000 people; the coal industry employs about 80,000 people.)

Many conservative Republicans were also opposed to tariffs for various reasons; some argued that Trump shouldn’t stifle a growing industry, while others, like Fox News host Sean Hannity, said tariffs would constitute a “bailout” of SolarCity and Suniva. In the hours immediately following Trump’s decision, however, it’s mostly renewable energy groups and environmentalists who are yelling into the void.

Link to tweet

[dweller]

1. also a 50% tariff

on residential washing machines?

heard about these 2 new tariffs on CBS news this morning... wtf?

[unblock]

2. because that's just what america's "working class" needs, a price hike on washing machines.

most republicans make you wonder if they're *ssholes or if they're idiots.

but donnie's both.

[Fred Sanders]

6. Both tarrifs will be appealed to the WTO and overturned, just like with steel.

[dweller]

7. good

as I need a new washer 😁

[Blue_Tires]

3. Hey, elections have consequences

I tried to warn folks...

[bigbrother05]

4. Start the bidding war to attract the new Chinese solar/washer plants

How much do you think the Amazon HQ2 losers would bid to get those new US manufacturing jobs?

Look at how much places were willing to pony up for Toyota/Honda/Mercedes/BMW to get factories to locate in their states/communities.

Think all those coal miners will swap black lung for silicosis?

[zipplewrath]

5. To some extent, this predates Trump

China got "caught" dumping huge amounts of subprice solar panels on the market and undercutting US manufacturing. The Obama administration fought it in international tribunals and won. It's only now that the details are being worked out on how to enforce the decision. One of the complaints is that the tariffs won't go to the manufacturers that were impacted, but to the federal government. People lost their jobs over this and it is thought that they ought to get back pay and/or their employers funded to re-open the factories.

To some extent what this hurts the most is "residential" level solar. The price of panels was already doing well enough to be competitive. Things were looking up at the beginning of the Obama Administration because solar was getting so cheap. And at the "industrial" level, the payoff tends to still be there. They are slightly less sensitive to the up front capital costs than residential customers.

If nothing else, the feds could do the industry some help by using the tariffs for some incentives to customers.