I have good news and bad news. Renewable energy is viable compared to coal produced energy … and increasingly affordable. Yet, we’re facing an obstacle caused by Trump’s new tariffs on renewable energy.
Utility company Xcel RFP announced recently that, in support of renewable energy, it will likely pursue
I have good news and bad news. Renewable energy is viable compared to coal produced energy … and increasingly affordable. Yet, we’re facing an obstacle caused by Trump’s new tariffs on renewable energy.
Ebbs and flows in renewable energy industry
Utility company Xcel RFP announced recently that, in support of renewable energy, it will likely pursue the Colorado Energy Plan Portfolio (CEP), to include photovoltaic (PV), wind and natural gas. As Vox puts it, “Renewable energy is not ‘alternative’ anymore.”
Just days after this news was released, Trump issued a 30% tariff on imported solar panels. It will eliminate a projected 23,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs. The growth we’ve seen in the industry is possible due to cheap solar panels mainly from China.
I’m curious about the motivation behind the tariff. I can see that it may be intended as an incentive to have solar panel production in the U.S. as opposed to importing it. The short-term effect — increase the cost in light of his cheerleading for coal. It calls into question the direction we’re headed. My clients generally still see solar panels as a novelty because of what’s fast becoming a myth, that states the technology is not efficient enough to be competitive.
Actually, prices have been dropping. Solutions are in the works. While wind and solar power can come and go with the weather, the solution is to attach storage for excess energy. The numbers are pretty close, with or without storage.
This article was written by Mark Benner of Mark Eric Benner Architects (MEBA). Read more here: http://www.mebarchitect.com/new-tariffs-renewable-energy-imports/
