Trump tariffs hammer the solar industry as import costs spike (April 8, 2025 )
April 8, 2025 — The solar industry — which in 2024 imported over $16.5 billion in solar modules and cells, with roughly 75 percent of supply originating in or transiting through Asia — was hit hard by the Trump administration's "reciprocal tariffs" announced April 2, which imposed duties ranging from 10 to 50 percent on goods from most countries. China, already subject to 50 percent tariffs on solar wafers, cells, and modules under Section 301 designations, faced combined effective rates that made direct imports largely uneconomic. Additional 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum — essential for solar panel frames, mounts, and racking — compounded costs across the project supply chain.
The Solar Energy Industries Association estimated from its first-term analysis that the earlier 2018–2021 solar tariffs had cost the U.S. 62,000 jobs, $19 billion in private investment, and 10.5 gigawatts of solar deployment. Industry analysts warned a similar or greater toll was likely in Trump's second term, given the broader scope of the 2025 tariff regime. Battery energy storage systems faced additional exposure from potential anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations on anode materials from China, with preliminary duties as high as 920 percent possible.
The Solar Energy Industries Association and others in the industry found themselves in an unusual position: supportive of domestic manufacturing goals in principle, but watching the policy environment simultaneously eliminate the consumer-facing tax credits and market signals needed to sustain that manufacturing. "It's a changed world in the renewables space," said one legal expert. The tariffs added urgency to the race to break ground on projects before the OBBBA's construction start deadlines took effect.
| https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/04/08/trump-tariffs-deal-damage-to-us-solar/ |