On January 22nd, President Trump imposed a 30% tariff on most imported solar modules. The Solar Energy Industries Association estimates these tariffs will result in the loss of 23,000 jobs here in the United States! SEIA’s statement provides a good short background on the case, and the result of this ill-advised action. To dig into the details, check out this podcast from Greentech Media.
At Net Zero Solar, we’re used to dealing with the challenges of changing markets and outside forces that don’t want clean energy or competition, so we’ll do our best to adjust. We purchased a limited number of solar modules before the tariff was implemented to reduce the impact on our customers. This will be especially helpful for those who choose to go solar ASAP while net metering is still available with TEP (likely through mid-March). In the longer term, we do expect that we will have to increase our prices due to tariff.
Last week, Net Zero Solar shared perspective on the tariff in two interviews with local news. Check them out below, and share your thoughts and questions in the comments!
Net Zero Solar’s Chad Waits on News 4 Tucson – KVOA with Zack Briggs:
http://www.kvoa.com/story/37344125/president-donald-trump-implements-tariffs-on-solar-panels.
Net Zero Solar’s Louis Woofenden and other local installers share their thoughts on the solar module tariff with Tucson News Now‘s Bud Foster:
http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/37343909/solar-industry-in-flux-after-presidents-tariff.
