Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    World
    Home / World / Americas

    Tariffs dim US solar prospects

    By LIA ZHU in San Francisco | China Daily | Updated: 2019-11-29 09:24
    Share
    Share - WeChat

    Tariffs imposed by the US government on imported solar cells and panels not only hinder the industry's growth but also hurt jobs and threaten clean energy goals, said a US official and alternative-energy advocates.

    Having struggled with the impact of the tariffs for nearly two years, the solar industry in the United States has been dealt a fresh blow: The US government last month rescinded a tariff exclusion for bifacial solar panels after it had been granted in June.

    The solar panels are now subject to the current 25 percent tariffs. Early last year, the US government imposed tariffs of 30 percent on foreign-made solar products. Those tariffs are set to decline by 5 percent each year through 2022.

    Nevada State Treasurer Zach Conine is concerned that the uncertainty surrounding the tariffs has created challenges for the state's working families by threatening well-paid jobs. Many states across the country are facing similar uncertainties with respect to their top industries, he said.

    "Green energy and the development of more sustainable technologies are on the rise here in Nevada. Our state currently leads the nation and in solar power potential. It has installed more than 3,500 megawatts of solar power," said Conine.

    Nevada in April became the fourth US state to commit to 100 percent clean energy by 2050, but that goal has also been challenged by Trump's solar tariffs.

    "Nevada homes and businesses that run on solar power depend on photovoltaic cells, and more than 60 percent of them come from China," said Conine.

    "While Nevada remains committed to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, our respective governments must work together to foster a renewed commitment to sustainability."

    The US government's tariffs, which were intended to generate new jobs, have met with criticism from industry advocacy groups, which argue that higher costs and uncertainty surrounding the added tariffs would lead to job losses.

    Their argument is backed by the latest census of The Solar Foundation, a Washington-based advocacy group.

    The US solar industry employed 10,000 fewer solar workers in 2017 and 8,000 fewer in 2018, marking two years in a row that employment in the solar industry has dropped after seven years of steady job growth, according to the Solar Jobs Census. The US government began considering tariffs in the first half of 2017.

    The census shows California, which dominates the US solar market, saw the greatest job loss in the sector in 2018, with a decline of nearly 10,000 positions. It was followed by Massachusetts and North Carolina.

    Since the tariffs were imposed, some major solar companies have seen their stock prices drop. Shares in SunPower and First Solar, which are solar manufacturers and developers, have plunged 45 percent and 40 percent, respectively, over the year, according to The Solar Foundation.

    Coupled with the effect from tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, the uncertainty has hurt utility-scale development the most, as billions of dollars of new solar projects have been postponed and installations scaled back, according to the foundation.

    liazhu@chinadailyusa.com

    Most Viewed in 24 Hours
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    日韩一本之道一区中文字幕| 中文人妻无码一区二区三区 | 日韩国产中文字幕| 亚洲av无码乱码国产精品fc2| 成人精品一区二区三区中文字幕| 狠狠躁狠狠躁东京热无码专区 | 最新中文字幕在线| 永久免费无码日韩视频| 色爱无码AV综合区| 久久AV高潮AV无码AV| 中文字幕一区图| 忘忧草在线社区WWW中国中文| a级毛片无码兔费真人久久| 亚洲Av无码专区国产乱码DVD | 18禁超污无遮挡无码免费网站| 国产中文字幕在线| 中文最新版地址在线| 国产精品亚洲专区无码WEB| 日韩精品无码中文字幕一区二区| 久久精品无码一区二区WWW| 日本欧美亚洲中文| 中文字幕免费高清视频| 人妻少妇精品视中文字幕国语| 被夫の上司に犯中文字幕| 中文字幕无码av激情不卡久久| 无码专区国产无套粉嫩白浆内射| 国产无码一区二区在线| 极品粉嫩嫩模大尺度无码视频| 国产午夜片无码区在线播放| 曰批全过程免费视频在线观看无码| 五月天中文字幕mv在线女婷婷五月| 最近2019中文字幕电影1| 久久ZYZ资源站无码中文动漫| 免费人妻无码不卡中文字幕系| 日韩中文字幕精品免费一区| 熟妇人妻中文字幕| 亚洲AV中文无码乱人伦下载| 欧美 亚洲 日韩 中文2019| 天堂√最新版中文在线| 中文午夜乱理片无码| 无码精品A∨在线观看中文|