America and Europe fumbled the race to manufacture solar technology at scale. Chinese firms control more than 80% of the global solar supply chain, helped by state subsidies. U.S. and EU punitive tariffs pushed Western prices but did little to alter the manufacturing realities. Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act incentivizes domestic PV production. “Reshoring” solar panel manufacturing could result in 30% lower greenhouse gas emissions and 13% lower energy use compared to globalized sources. Chinese manufacturers rely heavily on coal power. The Solar Energy Industry Association estimates that the Act will result in an extra $200 billion being invested in cleantech over the next decade—doubling the number of solar installations and creating 200,000 more jobs. Those deployments could cut America’s carbon footprint by 747 million tons over the same period.
www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2023/04/whats-best-for-the-climate-reshoring-solar-panel-production-or-just-buying-cheap-from-china/?utm_source=Anthropocene&utm_campaign=55d4a5a4f6-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_10_17_02_17_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ececcea89a-55d4a5a4f6-29433173