By: Solarman

Solarman — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 02:42:48 +0000

The take away here is geopolitics brought about as a result of “globalization” in the energy sector has brought about this road block that does not need to be in place. When one invokes 201 tariffs specifically on the (largest) foundry of poly silicon in the World supply chain, you have just shot yourself in the big floppy clown feet of the geopolitical ploy. One might save something like 3,000 to 4,000 jobs in a solar PV manufacturing plant in the U.S., but loses momentum in the flow of solar PV panels needed to reach decarbonization goals and puts thousands of solar PV installation personnel out of work when companies big and small “wait” for things to calm down and customers come back for the systems they would have installed without the restrictive more expensive tariffs. As it is now China can invoke a regional Covid-19 shutdown and isolation period and stop production of their silicon foundries to starve the solar PV cell market and slow or stop the solar PV panel manufacturing market. From the start of the Trump administration 201 tariffs on Chinese solar PV panels and materials, the two companies that filed the complaints of Chinese panel dumping in the marketplace have filed bankruptcy and between both lost something like 4,000 employees combined. The SEIA has said from 80,000 to around 120,000 solar PV installers and ancillary personnel were out of a job and Covid-19 didn’t help in the mass reduction of the workforce. So tariffs have cost overall 84,000 to 124,000 jobs that would be (tax paying jobs) save NO manufacturing jobs and prove tariffs can create a 21:1 to a 31:1 job loss with higher costs per solar PV panel installed in the U.S..

Comments on: Installed solar capacity down 17% from last year, but still the most-installed electricity source in America

By: Solarman