Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by CoolHand on Monday February 06 2017, @07:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the its-always-sunny-in-Tianjin dept.

Between 2008 and 2013, China's fledgling solar-electric panel industry dropped world prices by 80 percent, a stunning achievement in a fiercely competitive high-tech market. China had leapfrogged from nursing a tiny, rural-oriented solar program in the 1990s to become the globe's leader in what may soon be the world's largest renewable energy source.

[...] China's new dominance of nearly all aspects of solar use and manufacturing—markets that are predicted to expand by 13 percent a year, according to the report—came through a "unique, complex and interdependent set of circumstances" that is not likely to be repeated.

[...] According to some veterans in the U.S. solar industry, China bought solar companies and invited others to move to China, where they found cheap, skilled labor. Instead of paying taxes, they received tax credits.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-china-is-dominating-the-solar-industry/

Wikipedia has more stats/charts


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 06 2017, @07:57PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 06 2017, @07:57PM (#463600)

    Because they have no real standards of labor or environment. They are also willing to sell bellow market values to put other companies out of business.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_UdqZdFr-w [youtube.com]

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   +1  
       Insightful=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Insightful' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   1  
  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 06 2017, @08:33PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 06 2017, @08:33PM (#463625)

    There's that, but there's also the dogged unwillingness, yes, unwillingness by the USA to be a leader in this field. I always wondered why these "make america great again" and other "back in my day" types seem to be wanting to go back to the good ol' day, when the US was leader in everything, but don't realize that the world has changed and that what you WERE a leader in, is no longer valuable (fridges, cars, etc...) or cutting edge.(*)

    I find that the US with its staggeringly dumb attitude towards climate change (let me rephrase that: the US's denial of facts) has missed an opportunity to be that #1 again which it so (falsely) proclaims itself to be. Imagine what would have happened if the US jumped in, head first and actually competed in this new and emerging market. The whole world would be buying US-made stuff again because you'd have been the top dog. But no... gotta deny this thing exists and most certainly sabotage any effort that may be potentially linked to it because of vested interests... let others do it and then complain about it. Yeah, that sounds more like the US of fuckin' A: a bunch of whining pussies that throw a tantrum when they don't get their way.

    dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb...

    (*) Remarkably, it is always 'conservatives' that match that type. But ask yourself, what are you conserving? Was it really that much better then or did you just grow older and wiser? Maybe you just learned more about the world and over time come to realize that the world is not as simple as you thought it was when you were younger and dumber... Maybe the world was always the way it is no, but you're just opening your eyes to it.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 06 2017, @11:15PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 06 2017, @11:15PM (#463772)

      Yet it is the 'liberals'/progressives who throw out 'lets tax it out of existence'. Which creates a market distortion that LETS other countries do exactly what you say. They somehow think if we just tax it new ideas will magically happen. Instead it creates large bureaucracies and barriers to entry controlled by the very companies they want to change their ways.

      'dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb' is a good way to put it.

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by driverless on Tuesday February 07 2017, @06:54AM

      by driverless (4770) on Tuesday February 07 2017, @06:54AM (#463928)

      China subsidises solar, the US subsidises oil. You get what your government pays for (using your tax dollars).

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 07 2017, @08:39AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 07 2017, @08:39AM (#463948)

        Very insightful!

        And almost every country pays for propaganda...

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Tuesday February 07 2017, @09:11AM

      by bzipitidoo (4388) on Tuesday February 07 2017, @09:11AM (#463955) Journal

      The US is in relative decline. Still advancing, but not so willingly these days. But don't let the stupidity of certain noisy elements blind you to the facts. The government can exert a lot of influence, or not, but they aren't the nation. In a lot of ways, POTUS is just not that important. He's not a king, emperor, or sultan, presiding over a system that won't sneeze without his permission. The US will move with or without POTUS. After the War of Choice in Iraq, Americans are going to be a lot more wary about another war. Will be a lot harder for Trump to lead us into another war. As for energy, the people will dump fossil fuels in a New York minute when renewables at last pass them up on cost and convenience, they aren't that stupid. There are many US companies working on the problems. Everyone who wants to stay in business is thinking about the coming changes.

      I expect a combustion engine car apocalypse in the near future, and been wondering when to make the jump myself. Been hanging on to my 15 year old gasoline burning beater, doing minimal maintenance in anticipation of that day. Got a crack in the windshield last year and decided it wasn't worth fixing. Perhaps the Tesla model 3 is the car I've been waiting for? Or, maybe I could give up cars, move to a real city that has real public transportation. Another matter is when to install a solar array on the roof. Would love, love, love to tell the electricity companies that I don't need their services any more.

      Big changes are coming and the US will be driving a lot of it.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 06 2017, @08:36PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 06 2017, @08:36PM (#463629)

    Question: do you think the US should deregulate corporations so they can compete with China on even footing?

    • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 06 2017, @10:03PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 06 2017, @10:03PM (#463719)

      Corporate leaders CLAIM we can have deregulation without pollution, injuries, and sweatshop-like conditions. The "problem" is that if they are wrong, THEY don't take the blunt force of their mistake, WE do.

      It's easy to bet with somebody else's ass.

  • (Score: 2) by ikanreed on Monday February 06 2017, @09:00PM

    by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Monday February 06 2017, @09:00PM (#463649) Journal

    "Selling at below market values" and "subsidizing an industry with national value to help foster its development" can mean exactly the same thing.

    It's hard for me to look at this and not see an up-and-coming nation trying to leapfrog the current superpower on something that will have to be done sooner or later.

    That said, China absolutely has abysmal worker and environmental protections, and it's good news for everyone that their working class are starting to get enough wealth and stability to demand better treatment. Good for those workers, good for other nations that need to compete with them, good for the corporations in the long-run(though maybe not the short run)

  • (Score: 2) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Monday February 06 2017, @09:02PM

    by Scruffy Beard 2 (6030) on Monday February 06 2017, @09:02PM (#463651)

    The oil industry has similar ponds up in Alberta, Canada.

    Over time, the sediments are supposed to settle out of the effluent.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 07 2017, @09:52AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 07 2017, @09:52AM (#463960)

    So you just mean they are better capitalists then?