Solar is about to get hit with tariffs, but stockpiles give buyers opportunities

The US solar industry is used to tariffs, but President Trump’s latest round of tariffs is still expected to wreak havoc, like in many other sectors.

But homeowners still have time to go solar, thanks to developers building solar panel stockpiles in the US.

During his first term, President Trump imposed many tariffs that affected the US solar industry.

Since then, the industry has adapted with some domestic solar module manufacturing, but most solar products still come from overseas. Chinese manufacturers moved some of their factories to other Asian countries to adapt, but now Trump’s sweeping tariffs also target those countries, like Vietnam.

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But solar developers, who have experience with tariffs, have been savvy enough to build stockpiles of solar panels in the US over the last year.

Some estimates put the current stockpile at 50 gigawatts, which is roughly what the US deployed last year. However, 50 GW does not include all the solar energy deployed in the US last year, residential, commercial, and utility-scale, and most of the stockpile is estimated to be equipment for rooftop solar.

Tariffs coming into effect tomorrow will certainly impact the industry, but the stockpiles are likely to reduce the impact and give homeowners more time to go solar this year without price increases or with smaller price increases.

The timing is good as US homeowners are increasingly turning to solar to reduce their energy costs, which are also expected to increase.

The trade wars started by Trump are increasing the electricity rates in states that get electricity from Canada.

The President is also expected to sign a new executive order boosting the nation’s coal industry this week. The order is expected to involve reductions in environmental requirements to help save coal plants due for retirement.

However, most coal plants are being retired because they are uncompetitive, not because of environmental concerns.

In addition to tariffs on solar panels and inverters imported from overseas, the new tariffs are expected to greatly increase the cost of home energy storage, which is often installed with rooftop solar power systems.

We previously reported that home battery packs, like Tesla’s Powerwall, use battery cells from China, which is about to be hit with massive new tariffs.

If you are interested in going solar, now is the time, and we suggest using EnergySage. It’s a free service that will enable you to get quotes and compare them without any hassle, and you only talk to someone when you are ready to move forward with your project. They work with a great number of solar installers and help you get the best price.