Me thinks….
You’ll get a lot further in life if you take responsibility for your own actions and be forthright.
It is so and you’ll get to be a winner in Life, instead of playing the “it’s not fair” card of the perpetual losers.
Now if we could just get the US government to learn this very basic lesson as well… we could be on our way to a great Renewable Energy future.
Last week, the U.S. announced it was probing allegations that China has been assisting its domestic solar producers with protectionist policies.
The United Steelworkers Union of the US, is claiming that China’s solar support scheme enables the country to charge less than US companies, thereby giving them an unfair advantage that undermines US job growth.
Now there’s no doubt that this news has shaken up the solar sector…
But I can assure you, not the Chinese, not the Solar entrepreneurs, nor any reasonable global investor is losing sleep over it.
The U.S. can have a temper tantrum and could kick and scream all it wants, but the Chinese government will not relent. They are driven wisely to win the solar game, and neither the Steelworkers Union nor the US trade administration’s protestations will change that…
Apparently, the sobering truth is that no one in Washington has the cojones to support a real, economically sustainable energy plan. And especially they haven’t got the balls to focus on renewable energy during an election period…
So for the time being, the solar market in the U.S. will remain a shambles and a tiny fraction of the global market.
That of course won’t always be the case. But it is for now.
So to assume that a protectionist pissing contest between the U.S. and China is going to somehow derail the Chinese solar machine is pretty naïve and hugely counter productive…
I would also add that if this thing progresses, it’ll take years before any kind of decision is made. In that time, the Chinese will continue to ramp up production and flood the market with cheap solar cells, solar film and PV panels.
I don’t say this to take a side either way. Chinese photovoltaics are not any better than US photovoltaics. They are just cheaper and better researched for the market needs. Not for the perfect pitch and performance of sunlight conversion, but when you have to install them on your home, you would be a fool not to take Chinese PVs over any one else’s.
And by that, I’m just pointing out a reality that few want to face during these times of political cowardice, economic uncertainty, and second-guessing the future evident now.
Yours,
Pano
PS:
Now here’s the good news:
If this solar spat continues, you’re going to be able to load up on some solid Chinese solar stocks at pretty attractive discounts, and you can fund many new name solar technology start ups in the mainland .
Good dibs all over China
