Tariff will damage U.S. solar industry

Next month, the U.S. Department of Commerce will rule on whether tariffs of up to 250 percent will be imposed on crystalline silicon solar cells and modules imported from China. This tariff could threaten billions of dollars of infrastructure investment in solar projects, cost tens of thousands of jobs around the country, and set back the movement toward investing in renewable energy sources.

One Texas-based project demonstrates the economic and environmental benefits of supporting a cost-competitive solar industry. Located on 113 acres in southeast San Antonio, the Blue Wing Solar Project, which juwi solar inc. developed, produces more than 26,570 megawatt-hours of electricity a year — enough for 1,800 typical households, generated without emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The project also generated high-paying jobs. When the project was being built, more than 115 workers put in more than 100,000 labor hours.

CPS Energy, which serves 707,000 customers in and around San Antonio, purchases the electricity generated at Blue Wing from Duke Energy Generation Services. Duke Energy acquired the project from juwi solar, which developed, builOff White X Nike Design