Solar Panel Tariffs Have Little EFFECT on THE Solar Industry

Despite the news that President Trump has imposed solar panel tariffs on imported solar panels, home and business owners in Washington and Oregon who want to go solar won’t see much, if any, of increased prices in 2018. Several manufacturers are either exempt from the tariffs or have been planning to minimize their impact since news broke of the possibility last summer.

Even with the tariffs, pro-solar state and local policies and the continued reduction in other equipment costs means that solar is more affordable than it has ever been.

“The solar industry is always under attack,” said A&R Solar CEO Reeves Clippard. “We’ve been hit with worse, and we’ll come through this. The future of energy is clean. This won’t stop us. Not by a long shot.”

A number of pro-renewable energy bills will be considered in both the Washington and Oregon legislatures this year. In Olympia, lawmakers are considering the Solar Fairness Act, which ensures solar adopters have the right to use the solar energy they generate at their homes and businesses. And in Salem, legislators will discuss a new solar production incentive called WRAP when the session begins in February.

We encourage solar supporters to sign up for action alerts from either the Solar Installers of Washington or the Oregon Solar Energy Industry Association to help pass pro-solar legislation.

Here is a table of the tariff costs from the CEO at EnergySage on how the proposed tariffs will impact a system: