In the 1800s, a satirical “Petition from the Makers of Candles, Lanterns, and Generally Everything Connected with Lighting” to the French Parliament requested relief from unfair competition they faced from the sun. Candlemakers wanted the government to require “the closing of all windows, dormers, skylights, inside and outside shutters, curtains, casements, bull’s-eyes, deadlights, and blinds — in short, all openings, holes, chinks, and fissures through which the light of the sun is wont to enter houses.”

That is essentially the same argument two U.S. solar panel manufacturers just used to secure new import taxes of up to 30 percent from the federal government. The twist is that it is not free sunlight they sought relief from, but affordable imports that allow millions of Americans to harness the power of the sun.