Study on Solar Tariff Says No Benefit to the U.S., NASA Study Finds Clear Evidence of Greenhouse Gas

The Brattle Group has issued an economic analysis on the impact of a 100 percent tariff on PV cells imported from China. The report looked at 50 percent and 100 percent tariff scenarios. The author of the report said a 50 percent tariff will effectively shut the majority of Chinese imports out of the U.S. and result in a job loss of 15,000 to 50,000 -- even accounting for production gains in the U.S. GTM Research's Shyam Mehta has said that only about 6 percent of the world's solar panels are made in the U.S., all in highly automated factories. In other words, solar panel manufacturing is not a labor- or jobs-rich industry in this country. The jobs are created in downstream solar industries such as installation and project development.  According to The Brattle Group’s analysis, the imposition of tariffs will “slow the growth in domestic demand for photovoltaic systems by homeowners, commercial establishments and power producers, resulting in substantial job losses.”

A recent NASA study concludes that greenhouse gases generated by human activities -- not changes in solar activity -- are the primary cause of global warming. The study goes on to say that despite unusually low solar activity from 2005 to 2010, the planet continued to absorb more energy (half a watt more per square meter) than it returned to space during that time period.  "This provides unequivocal evidence that the sun is not the dominant driver of global warming," said James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, who led the research released Monday.