The cost of your solar panels are GOING UP! I don’t care what side of the fence you’re on politically, THIS is BAD for sustainable energy and off grid living! The costs are already high enough to discourage and prevent many hard working folks from being able to put solar on their homes and make the move off grid. Now this tariff threatens to increase costs of solar by 30% or more. Now instead of costing $100 for a 100 Watt panel, it could cost as much as $150 or more due to the increased cost of import from China and the manufacture here at home. It will also cost many Americans their jobs!
The tariff may increase costs even higher. They will try to claim the tariff is just to be tough on China, to stop the influx of solar panels from China and to try to create more manufacturing jobs here. But that won’t happen because that’s not how it works.
“President Trump Slaps Tariffs on Solar Panels in Major Blow to Renewable Energy“
“…The U.S. will impose duties of as much as 30 percent on solar equipment made abroad, a move that threatens to handicap a $28 billion industry that relies on parts made abroad for 80 percent of its supply. Just the mere threat of tariffs has shaken solar developers in recent months, with some hoarding panels and others stalling projects in anticipation of higher costs. The Solar Energy Industries Association has projected tens of thousands of job losses in a sector that employed 260,000…” – TIME –
Most of the raw materials used to manufacture solar panels are imported. Can you guess where from?
YES! You’re right. China!
China will retaliate against the 30% tariff in turn by raising prices on the raw materials needed to manufacture solar panels to prevent us from manufacturing here at home. Make no mistake…It will happen as a direct result of the tariff.
These short sighted acts by the president are foolish and only make matters even harder for us here at home.
I do not support this political stifling of solar power. It’s hard enough for people like us to put solar panels on our homes without a tariff that’s going to price solar panels even further out of reach for us.
Not only will this tariff cause a loss of jobs in the renewable energy sector it will directly hurt growth of the solar panel industry and raise the price of your solar panels costing you more for your solar panel array, thereby forcing millions of people to stay hooked up to the municipal utility companies.
Make no mistake THIS is an attempt to keep people on the grid and hooked up to fossil fuel power!
It’s not just about solar panels, it’s a direct attack on our way of life. It will make things harder for millions of people, cost people their jobs and will set the renewable energy sector back nearly a decade if it’s not appealed and nullified.
The solar panel industry might be able to appeal this decision, but it’s doubtful it’ll work considering Republicans control both the house and the senate. Dems might win back some seats and control and may be able to reverse this tariff later, but for now we’re stuck with it.
Jus know that all the time you’ve been saving to get solar panels installed on your off grid cabin, well, it’s going to cost you more now.
Get ready for higher prices on your solar panels.
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