Hoping to install solar? You may have a harder time due to Trump tariffs

By ALEXA ST JOHN Mike Summers was eager to install solar at his home in Ohio for years and after he decisively replaced his aging roof this year his solar contractor swung into action His system including panels and a battery backup went up this week and Summers considers himself lucky I m glad to have done it when I did noted Summers a former mayor in his city of Lakewood just west of Cleveland He ll get about in tax credits on his assets but nearly as fundamental is that all the equipment was readily available Other hopeful solar buyers may have a much harder time in coming months President Donald Trump s escalating pact war with China threatens to crimp a massive source of solar panels and parts with experts saying the cost of projects will certainly rise as China retaliates China accounted for at least of the components of solar panels as in recent months as according to an International Vigor Agency assessment especially polysilicon glass and solar cells Solar also demands increasing critical mineral supplies of which China is a key player across the globe and electronics In the U S private industry has poured billion into emerging a domestic supply chain in latest years according to Atlas Populace Program that includes everything from the ingots and wafers that make up panels to electrical and structural components to assembly of the panels themselves Bulk of that came from the Inflation Reduction Act passed during former President Joe Biden s administration with massive funding for clean potential stake But that won t come close to replacing what China produces Really everybody s losing when you think about it because the systems are costing more for the customers and it s also just making it more tough in selected means for us to do business disclosed Brian DiPaolo assistant sales manager at Cleveland-based solar installer YellowLite which is doing Summers project DiPaolo stated a few customers are holding off on plans until there is more clarity The company still stocked up on solar panels made in North America a month ago to stay competitive in coming months We re seeing both international as well as domestic manufacturers of the equipment increasing their costs to prepare for the tariffs DiPaolo revealed You think that the domestic manufacturers would keep their prices down because they don t get hit by the tariffs but they re seeing this added demand for their equipment It s supply and demand commented Martin Pochtaruk CEO of Heliene which focuses on large-scale solar projects He described the price of a necessary glass component from China going up in February due to a tariff hike Suppliers in other countries matched the higher price meaning higher costs no matter the source Alexis Abramson dean of Columbia University s Situation School announced there s no doubt that residential solar is going to be more expensive That will cut solar adoption and small and mid-size installers will go under she reported It s just extremely complicated to offer current and future customers pricing certainty when agreement program is changing so much stated James Hasselbeck chief operating officer at New England-based solar company ReVision Resource Related Articles Law firms universities and now civil society groups are in Trump s sights for punitive action As demand for AI rises so do power thirsty details centers Proposed rule change on endangered species triggers alarm for environmentalists The EPA can t end grants from billion Biden-era fund for climate-friendly projects a judge says Wind and solar power opponents make headway in state legislatures Solar has gotten significantly more affordable in latest years as the machinery scales up improves and gets cheaper to install Systems can still cost thousands of dollars on average but the average cost for a residential system is down more than from according to the National Renewable Power Laboratory American consumers have also had a shot at credits that bring the cost down still further although the future of those is uncertain under the Trump administration Commercial and utility-scale project costs have also dropped dramatically That s fed rapid development across the U S over the past two decades In the commercial segment grew and utility grew according to an annual document from the association and consultancy Wood Mackenzie The residential segment fell last year but experts attribute that to high interest rates and poll uncertainty and disclosed they had expected continued upsurge before the tariffs hit Solar is an fundamental source of clean vigor because it doesn t emit the harmful greenhouse gases that coal natural gas and oil do Those are massive contributors to Earth s warming Trump imposed tariffs during his first term on imported solar cells and modules in in hopes of slashing reliance on China But China subsidized its own domestic overproduction and a few U S manufacturers accused it of essentially moving operations to four Southeast Asian countries that had a temporary exemption from tariffs Abigail Ross Hopper president and CEO of the Solar Resource Industries Association noted the U S is fleetly taking back control of the supply chain from China to build the strongest solar manufacturing base in the world The group published that in module manufacturing ceiling largely concentrated in the South grew and commented cell manufacturing was reshored for the first time in five years with company Suniva restarting production But Hopper also disclosed sudden changes in initiative exposure chilling venture and slowing job creation especially for manufacturers The group commented during the first Trump administration that tariffs issued then were harmful to the industry Ultimately Abramson disclosed she would encourage anybody who has been really thinking about putting solar on their roof to really look into locking that in sooner rather than later Read more of AP s setting coverage at http www apnews com climate-and-environment Alexa St John is an Associated Press atmosphere reporter Follow her on X alexa stjohn Reach her at ast john ap org The Associated Press conditions and environmental coverage receives financial assistance from multiple private foundations AP is solely responsible for all content Find AP s standards for working with philanthropies a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP org