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There is a gazillion other imports that can be targeted with a tax. The most important thing for solar is to expand adoption by keeping costs low. Solar is such
by dmode 9y ago
There is a gazillion other imports that can be targeted with a tax. The most important thing for solar is to expand adoption by keeping costs low. Solar is such a small industry that it will have zero impact on American manufacturing overall. This tax will only raise costs of solar without doing anything for domestic manufacturing
- foota 9y agoIt will certainly impact American solar manufacturing, which many people would see as worthwhile.
- cma 9y agoMost solar jobs are in solar install, which it will impact adversely. Solar manufacturing will see an increase, but it is mostly capital, not labor, intensive. It could still make sense but I haven't seen a lot of the full rationale.
- thephyber 9y agoAnd it's likely to inversely impact US solar installations as it raises the price to install them in the USA. Also note that unless this is done within the WTO framework, it is likely to start/escalate (depending on your interpretation of previous events) a "trade war" (arms race of tariffs) which ultimately hurts the US consumer.
- jerkstate 9y agothere are nearly 3 million solar jobs in China. if there were 3 million solar jobs in the US, that would be yuge!
- NTDF9 9y agoChina also sells to the rest of the world. Who will buy overpriced American solar panels?
- jerkstate 9y agoI think that the idea that the US can't manufacture things cost-effectively is as dangerous as it is ludicrous. China will be selling to less of the rest of the world once the rest of the world stops allowing economic dumping from China.
- Clubber 9y agoThey aren't necessarily overpriced, but China has a big trend of government heavily subsidizing it's "strategic" industries, of which solar is one. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-china-is-dominating-the-solar-industry/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-china-is-domi... Of course the point is to put everyone else out of business or crippled so China can reap all the profits. It's a fairly common monopolistic tactic.
- kragen 9y agoIt will have zero effect on US manufacturing in 2018. When photovoltaic panels become the source of the majority of electrical power in the mid-2020s, it will have an enormous effect on US manufacturing.