Tariffs, tax breaks, regulations help buoy U.S. solar manufacturers, NYT says

Years ago, an executive from Suniva, a bankrupt solar panel manufacturer, warned of the fierce competition companies in the industry faced in China and Southeast Asia, with more than 30 U.S.-based solar companies being forced to shut down in the past few years, Ana Swanson and Jum Tankersley of The New York Times reports. Recently, Suniva was able to reopen a plant, mostly due to the effects of tariffs, protective regulations, and new tax breaks that President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act created. The combination of billions of dollars of tax credits for new facilities and tougher restrictions on foreign products has been driving a wave of solar jobs, but critics argue this comes at a high cost to taxpayers. Publicly traded companies in the space include REC Silicon (RNWEF) and Maxeon (MAXN) as well as Canadian Solar (CSIQ), SunPower (SPWR), First Solar (FSLR), Trina Solar (TSL), JA Solar (JASO), Yingli Green Energy (YGE).