30% tariff on import of solar panels. Breaking news.

[GoldDigger]

Not discussing politics, just industry impact.

See http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/370171-trump-imposes-30-tariffs-on-solar-panel-imports

 

[Sierrasparky]

not really great, But should you get a tax deduction for installing a foreign product. Just saying. :?

 

[jaggedben]

not really great, But should you get a tax deduction for installing a foreign product. Just saying. :?

I would say anything that helps cut carbon emissions should be incentivized by the government. But I'm not sure the mods wanted us talking about this aspect of it.

 

[Fulthrotl]

Not discussing politics, just industry impact.

See http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/370171-trump-imposes-30-tariffs-on-solar-panel-imports

"The move is a major blow for the $28 billion solar industry, which gets about 80 percent of its solar panel products from imports.
The Solar Energy Industries Association predicted the tariffs would increase prices and kill 23,000 jobs.
The group represents manufacturers as well as installers, sellers and others in the field."

yep. you put 30% on the price of the panels, and they become pretty unworkable on a cost benefit analysis.
so nobody puts them in.

so nobody installs them. so nobody who installs them goes to work.

not everyday someone can kill a whole industry with a tweet.

 

[jaggedben]

yep. you put 30% on the price of the panels, and they become pretty unworkable on a cost benefit analysis.
so nobody puts them in.

so nobody installs them. so nobody who installs them goes to work.

not everyday someone can kill a whole industry with a tweet.

Well, I would say it's not that bad. Modules costs are about 25% of my company's contract prices. So I would expect this to result in about a 7% increase in our prices. Maybe we have to go from $3/watt to $3.25. Which means payback time for customers goes from, like, 7 years to 7.5 years, on average. This will hurt most in places where the payback is more marginal. Not so much in California.

 

[ggunn]

Let's see...

This action makes US manufacturers of solar modules more competitive (maybe) here in the US but does absolutely nothing for them in the global marketplace, which is much bigger.

This action puts a damper on one of the few industries which was not crippled by the Great Recession.

This action is a net "job killer" by a substantial margin.

This action increases the value of a bankrupt company which was one of the two companies who brought the suit before the ITC, and is owned by a Chinese billionaire so that now he can get more for it when he sells it.

It's pretty myopic, if you ask me.

 

[Sierrasparky]

Well with the swipe of a pen the pres just made it more difficult for a industry.