New tariff could harm New Mexico’s booming solar industry

They said they’d prepared for the eventuality of a tariff by securing an additional order of USA manufactured solar panels from the same company ahead of time, said Johan Vanhee, Origis managing director for operations and business.

For the Moorhead Solar Garden, it depends on how the numbers fall into place.

They said that a almost 500 percent increase in imported solar panels over five years led to a ruinous price collapse.

“My administration is committed to defending American companies”, Trump said on Tuesday. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to expand at the same pace as we did because of this. If it goes up too much, it may shelve the project this year”, said Eisenbraun. All segments of the solar market – from utility-scale to residential (rooftop) and commercial and industrial – will cool.

Here are the particulars: All imported solar panels will be taxed at a 30 percent rate to start.

Because the USA now imports most of its panels, the import tax will probably hurt more American companies than it will help.

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However, the Solar Energy Industries Association says more than 260,000 Americans are employed in the sector, but less than 2,000 of those are manufacturing solar cells and modules. However, NextEra came out against the proposed tariffs during the trade case proceedings a year ago, noting it already had a “chilling effect” on the solar market.

“We have had to look at a couple of scenarios or layouts”, he said.

Echoing her remarks was Gregory Reed, professor and director, Center for Energy and the GRID Institute, Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.

The president believes going 20th century with the world when it comes to trade will make America great again.

The proposed tariff on solar panels has the potential to be truly harmful. For example, the United Kingdom used to produce a substantial percentage of its energy from coal, but now produces twice as much electricity from renewable sources as coal. Electric power generation from solar and wind energy combined contributes about three times as many jobs as electricity production from fossil fuels. Many of those jobs are in the installation process.

“We really have an outstanding program of 9,000 plus jobs that have been created with our solar program”, said Lauren “Bubba” McDonald who talked with me by telephone”.

Nordloh added that microgrids will continue delivering value in spite of the tariffs.

Undeveloped land on Crystal Hill Road in Halifax County is one of seven solar farm projects the county is working on. The solar industry argues that Trump is trying to save 1,000 jobs for people employed by US -based manufacturers that are actually foreign-owned. The White House move also helps prop up the faltering coal industry, which has had a hard time competing with cheaper fuels, like natural gas, wind, and, yes, solar. This action doesn’t allow time for that. The tariff, recommended by the bipartisan U.S. International Trade Commission, is created to help these companies compete for the domestic solar market. Community solar projects do not usually require customers to own their homes, so renters can take part.