We like to think of capitalism as this pure economic system where the best-run companies with the best products and services can grow revenues indefinitely, returning value to shareholders and prosperity to their employees. The reality is far messier. Markets don’t exist in a vacuum. Governments impose tariffs and regulations, issue subsidies and grants. While legislators leave their fingerprints over most industries, few are as well smudged as solar.
The Problem and Potential with Solar
Last year we wrote about America’s Solar Problem. The article’s main point was that playing politics with China (even though forced labor is a legit issue) over solar panel manufacturing hurts U.S. businesses and impedes the expansion of solar as the dominant form of electricity generation. To our point: In Q3-2022, the most recent quarter where stats are available, the amount of solar capacity installed in the United States fell 17% from a year ago, according to the quarterly SEIA/Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables U.S. Solar Market Insight report.