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Solar tariffs kill Americans - A new study from CUNY found imported solar panels prevented 600 premature deaths and saved $28 billion in health and climate costs between 2014 and 2022. But tariffs since 2017 have blocked over 10 GW of new capacity, reversing gains and leading to preventable pollution-related deaths. True energy security means scaling clean energy, not restricting it.
Solar Tariffs Have Cost American Lives.
Last week, we celebrated a milestone: America can now manufacture solar panels entirely at home. But even as the U.S. completes its clean-energy supply chain, tariffs and trade barriers are putting lives, jobs, and progress at risk.
A new analysis from the City University of New York found that imported solar panels didn’t just power homes, they saved lives. Between 2014 and 2022, imported panels displaced 305 terawatt-hours of fossil generation, avoided 178 million tons of carbon dioxide, and delivered twenty-eight billion dollars in combined health and climate benefits. Researchers estimate that these reductions prevented nearly six hundred premature American deaths. Every kilowatt of imported solar produced about $180 in health and climate value.
Then came the tariffs.
After the 2017 Suniva trade petition, solar import tariffs prevented an estimated 10.5 gigawatts of new capacity from being built between 2017 and 2021. That missing generation had consequences. With less solar on the grid, more electricity came from coal and gas, pollution that likely caused more than one hundred preventable deaths in 2022 alone, along with thousands of new respiratory illnesses.
And now, it’s happening again, only bigger.
Since early 2025, the Trump administration has sharply increased tariffs on solar imports, including panels, batteries, inverters, and other key parts. Some of those tariffs now reach up to 3,500%, driving solar prices higher. The rising costs are coming at a time when support for clean energy initiatives is being reduced. This makes it tougher to start new projects, threatens jobs in the solar industry, and keeps our country relying more on fossil fuels.
For perspective:
Each terawatt-hour of solar that replaces fossil generation literally saves lives. It prevents heart and lung disease, cuts carbon emissions, and reduces climate-driven health risks.
The irony is that the company behind the 2017 tariff fight, Suniva, did not restart production until 2024, years after the Inflation Reduction Act revived U.S. solar manufacturing. And now, new trade barriers threaten to undercut that progress all over again.
True energy security does not come from restrictions. It comes from scaling clean energy faster, supported by smart incentives and evidence-based policy.
If the United States wants to lead in clean energy, it has to choose progress over politics. Every new solar panel means cleaner air, healthier communities, and a safer future for everyone.
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/11/04/solar-tariffs-kill-americans/