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Trump's crackdown on China-linked solar firms stalls U.S. factory boom
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/trumps-crackdown-china-linked-solar-firms-stalls-us-factory-boom-2026-05-08/By Nichola Groom
May 8, 2026 6:03 AM EDT
Summary
May 8 (Reuters) - Top solar companies, banks and insurers have stopped doing business with at least a half dozen recently built U.S. panel factories because of uncertainty over whether their ties to China could disqualify them from clean-energy subsidies, according to industry executives and documents reviewed by Reuters.
The shift, driven by new Trump administration policies, jeopardizes more than a third of U.S. solar capacity in factories initially built by Chinese firms. Details of how the policy uncertainty is driving installers and insurers away from U.S. solar factories with China ties have not been previously reported.
The emerging effects dovetail with U.S. President Donald Trump’s broader efforts to block Chinese companies from the U.S. market and to slash government support for green energy. However, the policy could backfire by imperiling growth in U.S. manufacturing jobs and power generation at a time of rising utility bills and soaring electricity demand from data centers serving the artificial intelligence industry, industry experts say.
…
Trump wants to rapidly expand the U.S. power grid to fuel American data centers. But power-industry experts say solar installations, combined with battery storage that clicks on when the sun isn’t shining, are the quickest way to expand electricity generation because they’re easier to build than gas, coal or nuclear plants.
…
I’m sure he’s terribly upset about all of this…May 8, 2026 6:03 AM EDT
Summary
- Installers, banks, insurers shun China-linked U.S. solar factories
- Industry awaits guidance on new subsidy restrictions
- Financing delays threaten new U.S. power capacity as demand soars
May 8 (Reuters) - Top solar companies, banks and insurers have stopped doing business with at least a half dozen recently built U.S. panel factories because of uncertainty over whether their ties to China could disqualify them from clean-energy subsidies, according to industry executives and documents reviewed by Reuters.
The shift, driven by new Trump administration policies, jeopardizes more than a third of U.S. solar capacity in factories initially built by Chinese firms. Details of how the policy uncertainty is driving installers and insurers away from U.S. solar factories with China ties have not been previously reported.
The emerging effects dovetail with U.S. President Donald Trump’s broader efforts to block Chinese companies from the U.S. market and to slash government support for green energy. However, the policy could backfire by imperiling growth in U.S. manufacturing jobs and power generation at a time of rising utility bills and soaring electricity demand from data centers serving the artificial intelligence industry, industry experts say.
…
Trump wants to rapidly expand the U.S. power grid to fuel American data centers. But power-industry experts say solar installations, combined with battery storage that clicks on when the sun isn’t shining, are the quickest way to expand electricity generation because they’re easier to build than gas, coal or nuclear plants.
…