One U.S. Solar Maker Wants to Be Excluded from Trump’s Tariffs

U.S. solar panel maker SunPower Corp. is planning to ask for an exemption to the 30 percent tariff on imported solar panels that President Donald Trump approved Jan. 22.

The company, which manufactures most of its panels at factories in Asia and Mexico, could hire more workers at its headquarters in San Jose, Calif., and invest in a “pilot” factory in San Jose if it’s excluded from import duties, SunPower Chief Executive Officer Tom Werner said in an interview Jan. 24.

At the heart of SunPower’s argument for an exemption is the type of panel it makes—a high-efficiency ...