The move, combined with a two-year hiatus for additional solar energy tariffs from four Southeast Asian countries, signaled the government’s public commitment to reducing US dependence on foreign imports in a Chinese-dominated market. “What the president’s plan is to do is to keep the jobs we already have in the United States, in the American construction of things like racking and tracking, converters, all that commercial work that installs existing panels and rooftop solar installers. “, Said the Senator. Martin Heinrich (D, NM), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, told Yahoo Finance Live (video above). “And then he builds a bridge to build more real panels in the US.” At the same time, Heinrich added, it is unrealistic to build the US clean energy infrastructure without dependence on Chinese imports, given America’s current footprint in space. “A huge amount of the existing jobs in the creation of utility scale projects, as well as in the creation of distributed housing projects, could not exist during the next two years. [without imported parts]”We need to roughly triple our domestic capabilities to really have the impact we want. And the president’s plan does that.” US Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) speaks during the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing at the Capitol in Washington, DC, January 11, 2022. REUTERS / Sarah Silbiger The president’s plan specifically puts the US on track to triple its domestic solar capacity by 2024, according to the White House. That would raise the total capacity for clean solar power to 22.5 gigawatts – enough to power more than 3.3 million homes. Working against the plan is the inherent challenge that accompanies an ambitious clean energy project, given the limited existing production capacity in the United States.
“You can not ask people working in these fields to wait only two years”
In March, the Commerce Department launched an investigation into Chinese solar companies accused of circumventing US tariffs by launching components destined for the Americas in four Southeast Asian countries. The story goes on And while officials have not yet found evidence of violations, the possibility of additional tariffs on components from countries that control about 80 percent of the solar units used in the United States has led to a stalemate in many existing projects. Within weeks, the Association of Solar Industries (SEIA) said more than 300 domestic solar projects had been canceled or delayed, with some companies considering layoffs. The group also reduced its annual installation forecast by almost 50%. “You can not ask people working in these fields to just wait two years to start working again,” said Heinrich, referring to the two-year hiatus. “They have to constantly build skills for the next two years. “That’s why resigning for two years is so important.” A new floating solar panel system is being developed at Big Muddy Lake in Camp Mackall as the U.S. military hosts a ribbon-cutting event to unveil the solar system on June 10, 2022 at Camp Mackall in Aberdeen, North Carolina. (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits / Getty Images) The U.S. has been levying anti-dumping and countervailing duties on solar energy imports from China since 2012 – when the Obama administration first imposed tariffs – after concluding that Chinese companies benefited from generous government subsidies and sold at very low prices. production cost. China currently controls more than half of the world’s polycrystalline silicon, which is a critical stock used in solar panels. China’s stronghold in industry has regained control over the location of its solar components: About 80 percent of China’s polycrystalline silicon production is in the northwestern Xinjiang region, the industrial hub where the United States has blamed Beijing for “genocide and crimes against humanity ”in dealing with Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. Heinrich suggested that the best solution was to stick to the Biden government’s plan. “Instead of confronting a number of jobs with another domestic one in the US, what the president really said is: We will come up with a plan to make sure we have both.” said Heinrich. “So much of our inflation has been linked to fossil fuel prices. And so the faster we can make this transition to clean energy, the more we reduce inflationary pressures there as well. “ Akiko Fujita is a presenter and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @AkikoFujita Click here for business and money related political news Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Download the Yahoo Finance app for Apple or Android Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn and YouTube
