Solar panel prices

windtrader · January 25, 2018, 05:55:42 PM

In fact, domestic panel production has been severely damaged by cheap imports. Many plants here have gone bankrupt. The irony is some are foreign owned but the damage is mfg jobs here.

The bulk of jobs in solar is other than panel production. How much total installation is affected is yet to be determined. Some think higher panel prices will make the final cost to consumers higher and dampen sales. One has to remember panel prices have dropped so much over the past decade it's hardly clear how much sell through impact if panel cost is .50 or .65 per watt. Who knows, if things do slump off, some tax credits for domestic production or installation can offset that panel increase.

I thought a lot about this and feel that the tariff is worth the risk in addition to the overall trade policy of killing off cheap imports and level the global playing field. Overall, low impact thing to use to test and watch

neoneddy · January 25, 2018, 06:52:47 PM

I just had my panels delivered yesterday (6 325 watt Sunvia panels) and I chatted with the guy a bit about this very subject. He seemed to feel that most of the cost adjustments have already been put in place and i won't make a big deal overall, but will be better for the US manufacturers such as Sunvia.

We'll see how it plays out, if it ends up stifling job growth I suspect it will change real quick.

belfert · January 25, 2018, 06:59:52 PM

I paid 27 cents per watt for the 21 solar panels on the roof of my garage nine months ago. I was looking at getting four more panels for the house and another four more panels for my bus. At prices that will be close to $200 per panel I won't be getting any more.

If I could get panels at $100 each it might make sense for my bus. It makes zero sense at $200 per panel. That $1,200 can buy enough diesel to run my generator at least 700 hours.

windtrader · January 25, 2018, 07:49:17 PM

Too late for Sunvia and SolarWorld, both bit it months ago.

neoneddy · January 25, 2018, 09:26:32 PM

Huh... Well there goes the neighborhood

Dave5Cs · January 26, 2018, 12:34:16 PM

So how do we know that because the new tariffs cover importing Solar Panels that manufactures are not going to buy all the parts over seas and put them together here as US made like they do food and other things or just relabel them?

chessie4905 · January 26, 2018, 05:46:07 PM

Since the glass solar is the main item, they might not be able to avoid it.

Brassman · January 26, 2018, 11:42:49 PM

I thought the silicon solar cells were the main thing in the panels. Where do they grow those?

belfert · January 27, 2018, 04:06:32 AM

I have read that nobody is growing solar cells in the USA anymore.

Dave5Cs · January 27, 2018, 10:54:29 AM

yep nope overseas bad

Next it will be Harbor Freight tools.