Despite a decade of U.S. solar trade policy aimed at China, the U.S. is left without any good options.
Illustration by Luis Grañena
Despite the overcast weather, the opening ceremony for Jinko Solar’s new factory in Jacksonville, Florida, was a decidedly upbeat affair. Under a large, white tent, amid a cluster of warehouses belonging to corporate titans like FedEx and Bridgestone, the event’s speakers sounded victorious and full of promise.
To Lenny Curry, the mayor of Jacksonville, the long and squat rectangular factory represented “the opportunity for Jacksonville to become a major player in solar technology.” Florida Secretary of Commerce Jamal Sowell noted that while “Florida has long been a destination for vacations,” it was now “also the premier destination for innovators like Jinko Solar.”
The attendees had reason to feel triumphant. It was February 2019, and the Jacksonville factory suggested that a decade of U.S. solar trade policy was finally paying off. After benefitting from generous state subsidies and anti-competitive dumping practices in the early 2010s, Chinese solar pane
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