Navigating the US solar industry’s spring of discontent

(Inside Climate News, 5 May 2022) Solar business owners feel worn down by a federal tariff investigation and the Biden administration’s failure to deliver on policy.

Troy Van Beek is an optimist by nature, but he sounded dour this week.

His solar business, Ideal Energy in Fairfield, Iowa, is dealing with the blowback from a Department of Commerce investigation that could lead to retroactive tariffs on certain solar panels imported from Southeast Asia.

“We keep getting the rug pulled out from under us,” he said.

I reached out to Van Beek, whose company I profiled in a 2019 story, to get an idea of what the federal investigation looks like for solar companies. His business and the solar industry as a whole have been growing, but he explained that the government probe is the latest in a series of blows from policymakers and regulators that have undermined what should be a much larger economic success story.

The investigation has led to a spike in panel prices in anticipation of potential penalties, which is on top of existing supply chain problems that have made it difficult for solar installers to get the equipment they need.

External link

Inside Climate News, 5 May 2022: Navigating the US solar industry’s spring of discontent