As trade tensions with China continue to dominate national headlines, the tariffs have spurred strong solar-related job growth in Jacksonville.
“Interestingly, there are not many things that everyone in the U.S. can agree on politically, but solar is one of them,” said Nigel Cockroft, general manager for the U.S. and Canada for JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd.
Back in March, the Jacksonville City Council approved $3.4 millions in financial incentives for the China-based company’s new facility at Cecil Commerce Center.
During the fourth-quarter luncheon of JAXUSA Partnership on Thursday, Shantel Davis, CSX vice president of real estate and facilities management, celebrated Jinko Solar’s arrival, calling it “one of the biggest economic development stories not only locally but also in the entire energy world.”
JinkoSolar is the first Chinese company to set up a factory in the U.S. after President Donald Trump approved a 30-percent tariff on imported solar panels in January, according to our Jacksonville Daily Recordnews partner.
Cockroft said the U.S. solar industry has been “hard-hit” while dealing with tariffs imposed by several countries. He cited the win in a 2012 lawsuit filed by the U.S. subsidiary of Germany’s SolarWorld AG, and six other U.S. companies that alleged unfair competition from China.
JinkoSolar, the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer, has customers in 88 countries. Cockroft said low and well-managed electricity costs here mainly drive investments into solar plants like this, which produce 1.2 million panels a year.
He added the non-stop advancement of technology drives solar manufacturers to be more efficient.
He also said JEA anticipates saving up to 30 percent on fuel costs over the next two years by investing in solar farms.