How Trump's Tariffs Hit US Solar, One Year On

The Energy Gang

It’s been one year since the Trump White House slapped 30 percent tariffs on solar cells and modules imported into the US. What happened since?

The solar industry said tariffs would destroy tens of thousands of jobs and set the market back years. Turns out, the market is a lot more resilient than presumed. We now have the jobs numbers and installation data for 2018 — and yes, the tariffs definitely hurt solar, but not nearly as much as expected.

We’ll take stock of how tariffs shaped America’s solar market over the last year, both bad and good.

Then, Shell continues its distributed-energy acquisition spree. The oil giant just scooped up German battery services company sonnen — one month after buying EV charging firm Greenlots in January. What’s the end game?

We’ll end with a Trump Administration plan to freeze lighting standards. Is this Trump’s vendetta against hipster bars using globe lights and Edison bulbs?

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Recommended reading:

• GTM: New Tariffs to Curb US Solar Installations by 11% Through 2022
• GTM: US Solar Job Numbers Decline for the Second Consecutive Year
• GTM: Oil Supermajor Shell Acquires Sonnen for Home Battery Expansion
• ACEEE: Rollback of Light Bulb Standards Would Cost Consumers Billions

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