Page 69 - A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Energy Systems

64 A COmPrEHENSIVE GUIDE TO SOlAr ENErGy SySTEmS

President Obama placed additional emphasis on energy and clean technology in for-
eign relations, forming the Bureau of Energy and Natural resources within the Department
of State, and making the US a founding member of the Paris Climate Accord. In contrast,
the Trump Administration has proposed to cut funding by 71.8% to the Department of
Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and renewable Energy [17].
The Administration’s energy policy can be characterized by reduced reliance on foreign
fuel. As evidenced by the recent US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, renewable
energy is not viewed as an environmental issue tied to climate change mitigation. rather,
it is viewed as a means of achieving energy independence, only if it can be sustained by
the private sector. An example of this logic is President Trump’s adoption of the idea for
installing PV along the US-mexico border is clear. President Trump does not view solar
energy as political in and of itself, but rather a market from which US businesses should
and could benefit. As Fthenakis and Zweibel wrote in the WSJ article, “A Shiny Border Wall
That Pays for Itself: Forget a traditional barrier and build a 2000 mile solar field along the
border,” such a grandiose idea may make sense, since the cool, dry climate, low latitude,
and minimal shade would be an optimal environment for solar PV production [18].
In January 2018 the Trump Administration imposed tariffs of up to 30% on imported so-
lar equipment (President Donald Trump Imposes 30% Tariffs on Solar Panels (n.d.). retrieved
January 24, 2018, from: http://time.com/5113472/donald-trump-solar-panel-tariff/), in re-
sponse to a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling in September 2016 that China was illegally
discriminating against US solar exports. According to the filing, ”the petition alleges that in-
creasing imports have taken market share from domestic producers and have led to bankrupt-
cies, plant shutdowns, layoffs, and a severe deterioration of the financial performance of the
domestic industry“ [19]. Imported PV panels from China have been key to reducing domestic
prices. This effort is clearly in line with President Trump’s America First policy, but, if achieved,
it would increase installed PV prices and may slow the advance of domestic solar diffusion.
While the Obama Administration’s energy policy can be summed up as an analytical
yet cautious “all of the above” prescription and the Trump Administration’s doctrine po-
litically potent and decidedly protectionist, neither should be mistaken for a coordinated
federal approach to the promotion of solar energy in the US. While not a stated priority
of the Trump Administration, increased solar energy penetration to the grid may benefit
from progress on grid modernization, a decidedly less partisan issue. Nonetheless, im-
pending cuts in Federal funding “reflects an increased reliance on the private sector to
fund later-stage research, development and commercialization of energy technologies”
and continued dependence on state policies” [20].

4.2 The United States as a Patchwork of States

The US is comprised of numerous state markets that form an often conflicting and dis-
similar tapestry of regulations. Energy policy in the US has long been driven by states,
particularly since the end of the Carter Administration and the OPEC oil embargo. In each
of the 51 states, communities are governed by local bodies, over 18 000 in total, known as