Trump Will Make Key Decision On Future Of U.S. Solar Industry

By Will Stone
Published: Saturday, September 23, 2017 - 5:05am
Updated: Monday, September 25, 2017 - 8:12am

President Donald Trump is set to decide whether to place tariffs on solar panels made overseas.

On Friday, federal regulators in Washington, D.C. ruled unanimously that a glut of global imports has hurt some U.S. manufacturers.

The Solar Energy Industries Association calls the International Trade Commission’s finding disappointing and warns the requested remedy could devastate businesses, costing nearly 90,000 jobs next year.

If the full requested tariff is granted, Midwest-based solar developer TJ Kanczuzewski, CEO of Inovateus Solar, said his company and others will lose jobs and have to rework their future growth plans.

“Potentially doubling the cost of solar panels really just hurts the United States and could help other countries. And so it makes us less competitive. This is not a good business move,” Kanczuzewski said.

But the two domestic manufacturers that brought the case - Suniva and SolarWorld - argue they can not compete with the flood of foreign imports, mostly from Asia, and that a trade protection would revive the industry.

Now the commission will start crafting a recommendation for Trump on what kind of tariff is best.

Business Science