The article discussed how the Solar Industry saw a resurgence in the United States after the implementation of trade tariffs in 2018 by the Trump administration on foreign-made solar panels from China and Southeast Asia. Suniva, a solar panel manufacturer that went bankrupt, played a significant role in seeking the government’s support, which led to these tariffs. Following the implementation of the tariffs, the industry saw a wave of reshoring of solar jobs due to the government’s subsidies and trade protections noted in the signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, created by President Biden. As a result, Suniva and other solar companies unveiled plans to invest nearly $8 billion in new solar plant facilities across the US, creating temporary construction jobs and permanent jobs in the solar industry.
The trend towards reshoring solar jobs was indicated by Suniva’s plans to reopen a factory in Georgia and create jobs. REC Silicon and Maxeon also announced reopening initiatives in the US, citing the incentives provided by the climate law as a driving factor in their investment decisions. The article highlighted the criticisms of this approach, with concerns arising from the high cost to taxpayers and whether these subsidies and tariffs would succeed in the long run. It also outlined detailed data regarding the job growth, with thousands of jobs related to manufacturing expected to be created as a result of the public subsidies. The concern about the potential costs and downsides of these subsidies and tariffs was mentioned, with economists and analysts navigating the impacts on solar products’ cost and global dynamics in the industry.
The global context was provided regarding the global solar industry’s interplay with government actions and investment trends. The article noted how crucial subsidies in Germany and Japan and subsequent tariffs between the US and China in 2012 impacted the industry’s trajectory. These essential details suggested a broader scope of the worldwide interplay between solar products and government policies and interventions, as well as some potential implications for the United States’ approach.
