8mo ago

US targets China's solar dominance with 50% tariffs on solar wafers and polysilicon — tungsten products will see a 25% increase

www.tomshardware.com

16 comments

I’m sure that’s a much more effective than trying to build up US companies to make solar panels.
- Both are happening at the same time. A new plant for domestic wafer production is coming online in parallel to this.
  
  Where are they getting the material for wafers? Seems like 1 step forward and 3 steps backwards.
- They are, see this comment: https://sopuli.xyz/post/20118076/13518676
surely they'll follow up with investments into US-produced solar equipment to boost the economy and bring prices down to competitive levels, right?
..... Right?
- I'm convinced it will be easy to sell solar to the Right once it is marketed as 'off-grid independent self-sufficient energy' instead of 'green energy'.
  
  That's how battery backup has been marketed pretty much forever, and not having to rely on a utility company is pretty appealing regardless of political views.
- They are. See this comment: https://sopuli.xyz/post/20118076/13518676
Goddammit Biden. Your time is done. Know when to fold.
Now when it's 2025 and beyond, Trump won't have to do anything with Chinese tariffs. If people complain about tariffs causing price hikes on new solar installations (for which he's probably gonna get rid of tax incentives on top of that), he can just say, "NoT mY fAuLt, Biden set up the tariffs."
Quit while you're ahead, dude!
- Been reading about this, sucks, but makes sense.
  China is subsidizing production, using heavily polluting plants, and crashing costs to steal the market. It's a mafia tactic. Once they fill the market, they'll jack prices up. The Trump administration excluded bifacial panel tariffs which turned out to be a huge problem since they became the default. Then Biden waived duties for 2 years which compounded it.
  While investments are being made domestically, the administration has tried more but installers just want them cheap, and it's too late for the US to copy China. So now there are huge tax benefits from the Biden administration, but they need to get people to switch over to using them.
  Now the only way to make that happen appears to be to raise the prices up before Chiba gets the opportunity to saturate the market and do the same. The hope is this will get people to leverage the tax benefits to get the same prices domestically. Hopefully it's not too late.
  It's actually a pretty interesting geopolicial whirlwind.
Greenest US president in history or something.

16 comments