U.S. solar manufacturing poised to boom in wake of Trump’s panel duties
President Donald Trump wanted more U.S. solar manufacturing — and now he’s getting it.
Hanwha Q Cells Korea on Wednesday announced it will build a factory in Georgia. JinkoSolar Holding Co. of China is planning one in Florida. And U.S. companies SunPower Corp. and First Solar Inc. say they will boost production in Oregon and Ohio.
In total, firms have announced plans for at least 3.4 gigawatts of new U.S. solar-manufacturing capacity since Trump imposed duties on imported panels in January, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. That compares to 1.8 gigawatts of capacity in the U.S. at the end of 2017.
It remains to be seen whether those factories will create jobs, but it seems clear companies are responding to his trade policies. “Absent the Trump tariffs, this wouldn’t be happening,” said Jeff O sborne, an analyst at Cowen & Co.
The push for tariffs began in April 2017, when Suniva Inc., a bankrupt Georgia-based panel maker filed a trade complaint arguing it had been crippled by a flood of imports. Trump responded in January, imposing duties of as much as 30 per cent to protect American manufacturers and create jobs.
While the plants announced by Hanwha and others will boost U.S. production, they ’re unlikely to employ armies of workers, analysts said. As panel prices have declined, solar factories have become increasingly automated. “While the Trump Administration will claim this as a win, America’s victory is modest,” said Hugh Bromley, a New York-based analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “The profits will flow offshore, and the highlyautomated production lines will bring few jobs.”
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.