The United States’ clean energy landscape is already changing just days after Donald Trump’s election — as signs build of even bigger shake-ups to come. Case in point: One of China’s largest solar manufacturers — which had been slated to receive almost $2 billion from President Joe Biden’s climate law — instead is selling the massive new factory it built in Texas, write Benjamin Storrow and Kelsey Tamborrino. The company, Trina Solar, insists the move was unrelated to the president-elect’s hostile stance toward China and his vows to shred Biden’s clean energy incentives. But analysts say the sale reflects how Trump’s promise to quell economic competition from China is already affecting energy markets. Trump has pledged to raise tariffs by 20 percent on all imports and impose an additional 60 percent levy on Chinese shipments. While Democrats’ 2022 climate law prevents Chinese automakers from benefiting from the law, it contains no such prohibitions for Chinese solar manufacturers, which dominate the global market for panels. But lawmakers from both parties have already filed a number of bills seeking to bar Chinese-linked companies from receiving the solar tax boons. Trina’s sale to a battery manufacturer called Freyr appears to be a strategic move to avoid those possible new restrictions, said Nick Iacovella, a former aide to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and a senior vice president at the Coalition for a Prosperous America, a trade group representing U.S. manufacturers. The sale spotlights the ongoing tension within the solar industry surrounding Chinese-built factories inside the United States. Advocates see factories such as Trina as a positive development, saying they use China’s technological expertise to create domestic jobs and drive costs down as the country transitions to clean power. But critics argue that the trend leaves the country overly reliant on China and stifles U.S. attempts to build its own clean energy manufacturing industry. Of course, it’s possible no one will reap major benefits from Democrats’ climate law as Trump has pledged to claw back as many unspent funds as possible. With Republicans on the cusp of winning total control of Congress, any Democratic opposition will likely be attenuated — though Trump may face pushback from many Republicans whose districts are set to benefit from the manufacturing funds. Companies have announced $153.4 billion in planned private clean energy investments since the enactment of the climate law, promising to create 160,000 jobs — with the lion’s share headed to GOP-controlled districts.
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