President Donald Trump’s recent decision to apply tariffs on imported solar panels was met with strong reaction in Washington, reaction that was very much divided along political lines. But the initial evidence shows that the tariff is working.
No fewer than nine companies have announced manufacturing expansion plans in the U.S. market in the past several weeks, all of them motivated partly by the tariffs. The biggest is JinkoSolar, a Chinese manufacturer that said it is committing $410 million to build a plant in Jacksonville, Florida, that will employ 800 workers. The Jacksonville city council is, of course, thrilled, and has voted to give the company tax breaks in support of the investment.
Equally exciting, two American-owned companies, SolarTech Universal and Solaria, are planning to expand U.S. production in the coming months. The planned expansions demonstrate that effective tariffs can work, giving new life to a struggling American industry and strengthening the economy.
Critics complained that enforcing the law would harm solar demand. But an investigation by the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) economics team has found that market demand is expected to continue rising this year. Many solar installers are hiring to meet increasing sales, and regional players are expanding, aided in part by federal and state support for renewable energy. – READ MORE
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