How the US Lost the Solar Power Race to China
How the US Lost the Solar Power Race to China
Bloomberg Opinion’s climate columnist visited Michigan, the former heart of the solar industry, and China to learn how good, old-fashioned capitalism won out.
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I didn't even know we were racing. What are the results, are we, like, not allowed to do solar power now? What does China get for winning, a free car or something?
Seriously, why does everything have to be framed as some kind of zero-sum international "race"?
It means that the economic benefits of being the world's low-cost producer go to people in China instead of the US.
They're not stealing the sunshine from us, it hits them over there. We can still make more solar panels, we haven't lost anything irretrievably.
No, but the point is that china is making them for themselves and everyone else.
Then it's not a solar power race, it's a manufacturing race? Of course we lost that, we gave that up like 60 years ago!
Also ... not knowing you're in a race is a sure way to lose it ...
Not being in a race is a sure way to neither win or lose and just kind of do your own thing. With sunshine, this is exceedingly easy.
With sunshine, this is exceedingly easy.
Sunshine yes, manufacturing less so.
Neat! Unrelated, but neat!
Not entirely unrelated. Solar panels have to be manufactured somewhere, and I'm pretty sure China currently the top producer.