Trump's tariffs hit clean energy

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♻️ This week’s sustainability news

The likely impacts of Trump’s tariffs on clean energy

What’s happening: Analysts say that President Trump's tariffs will probably make it more expensive to build renewable energy projects in the US, which will add to the difficulties the industry is already facing. The comprehensive set of tariffs announced by Trump on Wednesday are likely to also slow down the use of big batteries. Energy companies are using these batteries more and more to better use wind and solar power and to make the electric grid more reliable. The different rates of tariffs applied to countries exporting clean technology may also produce a few winners, but mostly we’re all going to be losers.

Why it’s happening: Wind turbines are usually built with parts from different suppliers worldwide and put together in the US. Tariffs might raise the price of these imported parts. In 2023, the US imported around $1.7 billion worth of wind turbine parts, mostly from Europe, Mexico, Vietnam, and India, according to analyst Endri Lico from Wood Mackenzie.

In the last five years, grid batteries have also become a major growth area in the US energy industry. In places like Texas and Arizona, companies are setting up large lithium-ion batteries, similar in size to shipping containers. These batteries store extra wind and solar energy for later use. In California, using batteries to store solar power for the evening has helped reduce the use of natural gas. However, most of the lithium-ion batteries in the US are still imported, with 69 percent coming from China in 2024, according to BloombergNEF. Mr. Trump’s new tariffs, along with previous trade actions, will add a 64.5 percent tax on grid batteries from China, increasing to 82 percent next year.

The high rate of tariffs applied to China for their batteries and other clean technology like solar panels will likely accelerate a trend of their companies exporting to more lower and middle-income countries over the last few years instead of the US. Other countries in Southeast Asia that export solar will also be affected by high rates of tariffs. Vietnam, a top supplier, was hit with a 46% tariff while other notable exporters like Cambodia and Thailand received tariffs of 49% and 36% respectively.

Why it’s important: Mr. Lico predicted that a 25% tariff on imported goods could raise the cost of land-based wind turbines by 10% and increase the cost of building renewable energy facilities by 7%. This could result in higher electricity prices. The increased costs might discourage the development of new power sources, even though electricity demand is expected to grow due to data centers and electric vehicles. Before the tariffs were considered, analysts had already lowered their expectations for renewable energy growth because of the Trump administration's punitive actions. East Coast states were relying on offshore wind to meet clean energy goals, but now analysts believe only a few of these expensive projects will likely be completed in the coming years.

Energy companies were also set to add a record 18,200 megawatts of battery storage to the grid this year. This amount can store the energy from 18 large nuclear reactors for a few hours, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Batteries, along with wind and solar power, were expected to account for 93 percent of the new energy capacity added to the grid. Batteries help solve a big problem with renewable energy: the wind and sun aren't always available. In states like California and Texas, which use a lot of solar power, more batteries have been installed to help prevent blackouts during hot summers. They work with gas plants to provide power when it's needed most. Batteries are also useful for fixing small issues in electricity flow, like when a power plant suddenly stops working, or for easing congestion on power lines. Many companies are installing these grid batteries because the cost of lithium-ion technology, similar to what's used in electric cars, has dropped significantly. However, tariffs could change this trend. In recent years, the US has been working on creating a local battery supply chain. After the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act was approved, the Biden administration invested a lot of money into new battery factories and provided tax benefits for companies making batteries and using them in power grids and electric cars. However, the future of many of these factories is now uncertain because Trump and Republicans in Congress want to reverse many clean energy policies.

The US imports vastly more solar panels than it makes. With China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand hit with high tariffs, India may see an opening to export more to the US. The country received a relatively low tariff rate of 26%. This comes as India is boosting its clean technology production, including finalising a $1 billion subsidy to expand its solar industry. Over the past two years, India has increased its solar exports to the US, sending 9.4 gigawatts of solar cells and modules worth $3.4 billion in 2023 and 2024 combined. This is a significant increase compared to previous years. But ultimately solar panels will be more expensive than they are now for American businesses and consumers, regardless which country ends up supplying more of them.

The world needs to switch to cleaner energy faster to avoid the worst effects of climate change. However, the tariffs are creating giant hurdles for pretty much every country to overcome, especially for industries that depend on supply chains going back to China and other countries. Unfortunately clean technology, including wind and solar power and the batteries that store its energy, are going to be among the many casualties of the Trump administration’s misguided economics.

📖 Read the full articles: Tariffs are likely to hit renewable energy and How Trump’s tariffs could hobble the fastest-growing energy technology and How trade wars impact the green transition

Climate change made Greece storms more destructive

What’s happening: In late March and early April, strong storms hit several Greek islands, causing a lot of flooding and damage. On 31 March, heavy rain and hailstorms hit the islands of Paros and Mykonos, flooding streets and moving cars. Schools were closed, and only emergency vehicles were allowed on the roads. People were told to stay inside while rescue teams worked. The bad weather continued into April, especially affecting Crete. Chania, a city in Crete, had the most rain in one day, causing a lot of flooding. Other islands like Rhodes also experienced strong winds and damage. A new study suggests that human-driven climate change likely made the heavy rain during these storms worse.

Why it’s happening: Scientists from ClimaMeter, an organisation that studies extreme weather, used data from Earth monitoring service Copernicus for the past 74 years to look at how weather patterns have changed. They compared weather systems from the late 20th century (1950–1986) to those in recent years (1987–2023), a time when climate change effects have become clearer. They also looked at natural climate events like El Niño, which warms parts of the Pacific Ocean. The study found that storms like the ones in Greece are now 10-15% wetter than they used to be. While natural climate changes might have played a small role, the scientists believe that human-driven climate change is the main reason for these wetter storms.

Why it’s important: The severe storms in Greece match the predictions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that extreme weather will become more common in the Mediterranean due to warmer sea temperatures, according to Tommaso Alberti, a researcher at Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). The analysis demonstrates a strong trend of storms becoming wetter, which in turn amplifies the risk of floods. This is part of a clear pattern of global warming driving more intense and destructive weather.

📖 Read the full article: Greece storms were made wetter and more destructive by climate change, study finds

😇 People doing great things

Making a stand in solidarity with climate activists

Demonstrating his faith in a different way: A Jesuit priest, Rev. Jörg Alt, says he would rather go to jail than pay a €500 fine for joining a climate protest that blocked a street in Nuremberg, Germany. He began his almost month-long jail sentence on Tuesday in Nuremberg. A Bavarian court turned down Alt's appeal and upheld his conviction for taking part in a sit-in protest. After the decision, officials asked Alt several times to pay a €500 fine. When he didn't pay, the fine was changed to a 25-day jail sentence. This court ruling was related to a protest in August 2022, where Alt, a Jesuit priest, and about 40 other activists blocked traffic in Nuremberg by sticking their hands to a street near the train station to raise awareness about climate change. In recent years, many similar protests have happened in Germany and other countries. Activists are trying to highlight the urgent need to address climate change.

People and politicians have reacted in different ways to these road blockades. Some Germans agree with the protesters' goals, but not their methods. Meanwhile, activists have also encountered violence from angry drivers and demands for strict penalties from conservative politicians. As a result of his vow of poverty, Alt explained he didn’t have an income nor bank account and that I he also didn’t want to “harm the order and my fellow brothers by paying my fine”. Alt said that he had also decided to serve the prison sentence instead of paying the fine in solidarity with other climate activists caught up in government crackdowns and the criminal system. Alt has been found guilty for his activism before. In May 2023, a court convicted him of coercion because he took part in blocking a road in Munich, and he was told to pay a small fine.

⭐️ Weekly inspiration

Earth Month 2025 is here

Earth Day is on 22 April: Every April, leaders and environmental activists from around the world come together to work on sustainable development and find climate solutions with the goal to reduce our carbon footprint and protect the planet's natural resources; the first Earth Day took place in 1970.

Celebrating a champion of conservation

Continues her tireless efforts for the planet and its inhabitants: On 3 April, Jane Goodall turned 91 years old and to honour her, Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced a new holiday called Animals Matter Day, while the Jane Goodall Institute itself issued a call to action for #GoodAllDay on the same day.

Finland ahead of schedule for phase out of coal

Wind power has doubled since 2020 to provide 25% of the country’s energy: Finland closed a coal power plant on 1 April, moving closer to stopping coal use completely, four years earlier than planned, reducing coal's share in the country's energy to less than 1% while also helping to cut customers’ electricity bills.

Solar energy from space coming in 2026?

Idea from Isaac Asimov’s short story ‘Reason’: Aetherflux, a space solar company started by Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of Robinhood, has raised $50 million in its first major funding round with the company planning to launch its first test satellite in 2026 before creating a network of satellites to gather solar energy in space and send it back to Earth.

Artificial intelligence (AI) used for good

A small bird hadn’t been seen for decades: Zoos Victoria set up audio recorders in the wild areas of Australia to collect information on bird sounds and after listening to thousands of hours of recordings, an AI tool was able to identify the plains-wanderer, similar to a quail, by its quiet, low "ooming" call at two locations in western Melbourne.

Bipartisan US bill supports green building materials

Continues Biden-era initiatives: The House of Representatives voted 350-73 to approve legislation that directs the Department of Energy to create a program called the IMPACT Act (Innovative Mitigation Partnerships for Asphalt and Concrete Technologies Act) focused on researching and using cleaner building materials.

European fund management bets big on US solar

Meeting the growing need for electricity to boost renewables: European investment company AIP Management is investing around $500 million in Silicon Ranch, a solar energy developer based in Tennessee that runs solar and battery projects in Canada and the US, especially in southern states like Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

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