According to the quarterly solar market report released March 15 by GTM Research, U.S. solar energy installation growth is expected to slow in the coming years, due in part to new tariffs on panel imports and new federal tax laws.
Eric Schiff is a professor and Physics Department Chair at Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences. He doesn’t see steel tariffs as a problem for the solar installation industry. Schiff believes the cost savings of unsubsidized solar electricity will keep it thriving in the long run.
Schiff says:
“I don’t think that the problem with solar installations is the steel tariffs. Tariffs were already applied to solar module imports last year. These tariffs protect the rather small number of surviving solar module manufacturers in the U.S. They also make the price of solar modules higher in the U.S. than in the rest of the world. As the media has reported, the main impact of the U.S. solar tariffs will be a temporary decrease in the number of U.S. jobs installing solar modules.
“Despite these difficulties, the future for solar installations is very bright in the U.S. For veterans such as myself, it is amazing that the price of electricity from solar modules has decreased almost 100 times since I started my own research work in semiconductors almost 40 years ago. And the price of solar modules is still declining rapidly on the world market, which is unaffected by the U.S. tariffs.
“In many locations, and despite the tariffs, unsubsidized solar electricity is still cheaper to add than electricity from other sources such as natural gas-fired generators. The setback to the U.S. industry should only be temporary.”
To request interviews or get more information:
Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Communications and Marketing
T 315.443.1184 M 315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu | @DarylLovell
820 Comstock Avenue, Suite 308, Syracuse, NY 13244
news.syr.edu | syracuse.edu
Syracuse University
Avinash “Avi” Thakur, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), recently made headlines with his role in the development of a novel class of nanomaterials that could possibly improve cancer detection….
Look to the sky on the evening of Sunday, Jan. 20, and you’ll be in for a rare treat. A total lunar eclipse will be well visible to stargazers as the Earth’s shadow crosses in front of the moon. This…
In today’s hyperconnected world, cyber attacks on our institutions and personal information are increasing. Governments and industries alike need well-trained experts to protect us. This fall, the Cybersecurity Semester (CSS) returns to Syracuse University to teach computer science and computer engineering students…
Online graduate programs offered by Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) and School of Information Studies (iSchool) have been ranked No. 11 for best information technology programs for 2019 by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online…
Syracuse University student startups OptechVR—co-founded by Whitman first-year student Matt Shumer and Newhouse first-year student Sam Hollander—and Tableau Media—a venture by Hanna Seraji, an anthropology, women’s and gender studies and communication and rhetorical studies major, along with SU alumna Gabriela…
If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.
