Despite receiving billions of dollars in subsidies, the U.S. solar panel manufacturing industry is not competitive with Chinese imports. There is a robust solar industry in the United States; it's just not in the manufacture of panels.

As the Wall Street Journal explains: "The U.S. solar industry has discovered that its comparative advantage lies not in making panels, a basic product, but in adding value to imported cells and modules. This involves making and installing racking or framing systems and incorporating innovations like trackers that orient toward the sun."

American Jobs at Risk with Trade Policies

The Wall Street Journal adds, "While there are fewer than 1,000 jobs in U.S. panel manufacturing, some 260,000 jobs rely on access to imported panels."