Solar Energy Industries Association releases market impact analysis on solar tariffs

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) recently released a new market impact analysis exploring the impact of Section 201 tariffs on the U.S. solar industry.

The analysis finds that tariffs on imported solar cells and modules have led to the loss of more than 62,000 U.S. jobs and $19 billion in new private sector investment. The report covers tariff impacts from the 2017 trade complaint by Suniva through the end of the tariff lifecycle in 2021.

The analysis arrives as the midterm review process for the tariffs begins at the U.S. International Trade Commission on Dec. 5.

“Solar was the first industry to be hit with this administration’s tariff policy, and now we’re feeling the impacts that we warned against two years ago,” SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper said. “This stark data should be the predicate for removing harmful tariffs and allowing solar to fairly compete and continue creating jobs for Americans.”

SEIA also noted that tariffs on solar have caused the cancellation of 10.5 gigawatts (GW) of solar installations.

The analysis also found that solar tariffs are costing the United States more than $10.5 million per day in unrealized economic activity and that each new job created by the tariff also leads to 31 additional jobs lost, 5.3 megawatts of solar deployment lost and nearly $9.5 million of lost investment.

SEIA also found that tariffs on solar are impacting developing solar markets, including Alabama, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota, most significantly.

The Section 201 solar tariffs began at 30 percent in 2018 and ramped down to 25 percent in 2019. It will decrease to 20 percent in 2020 and 15 percent in 2021.