Last week, President Trump announced new tariffs on imported solar panels and cells under the guise of protecting American jobs.

What does this decision mean?

The US solar industry relies on imports for about 80 percent of the panels it installs across the country. The 30 percent hit on imports after the first 2.5 GW exempted each year is a big one, and it’s going to make solar more expensive for everyday Americans – and could lead to many American solar workers losing their jobs.

How much more expensive will solar panels be? 

GTM Research looked at the final ruling and projected that a 30 percent tariff will add $0.10/watt on average in the first year (stepping down in future years). All told, this translates into roughly an 11 percent net reduction in US solar installations through 2022, representing about 1.2 million homes that now won’t be powered by solar.

What’s the bottom line?

The new solar tariffs will make solar more expensive in the US and cost American jobs. All while failing to spur more domestic manufacturing and slowing our response to the climate crisis.

That’s bad for American workers, bad for the economy, and bad for our planet.

Ready to learn more? Read our full blog post on what the solar tariffs means for Americans and the future of our planet.