Solar panels were invented in the United States, but the industry that makes them mostly died out in this country long ago. The U.S. fell behind for a number of reasons, and subsidized Chinese manufacturing was one of them, according to both the Trump and Biden administrations.
The U.S. imposed tariffs and offered subsidies of its own to re-create the solar supply chain here, and solar manufacturing in the U.S. has been making a comeback. But it has come at a cost, and solar manufacturers say the success they’ve had so far is at risk.