Trump's biggest blow to renewables yet: 30% duty on foreign solar equipment

The US move threatens to handicap the $28-billion industry that relies on parts made abroad for 80% of its supply

  US President Donald Trump just dealt his biggest blow to the renewable energy industry yet.
 
On Monday, Trump approved duties of as much as 30 per cent on solar equipment made abroad, a move that threatens to handicap a $28 billion industry that relies on parts made abroad for 80 per cent of its supply. Just the mere threat of tariffs has shaken solar developers in recent months, with some hoarding panels and others stalling projects in anticipation of higher costs. The Solar Energy Industries Association has projected 23,000 job losses this year in a sector that employed 260,000.