Comments on: China, Inc. Locked In on World Solar, Wind Manufacturing Domination

By: Vestas' Wind Tower Factory Sale: The Shape of Things to Come in Wind, Solar Manufacturing? - CleanTechnica

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 07:11:00 +0000

[…] testament to the effectiveness and success of China’s state-directed and -sponsored drive to dominate renewable energy and clean tech manufacturing. It’s taken just several years for Chinese wind tower, as well as solar PV manufacturers, to […]

By: Vani

Vani — Fri, 04 May 2012 03:23:00 +0000

Lose the industry completely and you lose the infrastructure, knowledge base, and drive to get back into the game. It becomes much more difficult to get back into the game, even if China ends it’s illegal trade practices at some point. China made a huge move to undercut the Rare Earths market 10 years ago. Now they decided to use their monolopy to further their interests. Now we are in a mad scramble to re-start our own industry but with huge barriers due to a lack of infastructure and up-to-date technology needed to bring up new mines.

Giving up a strategic industry to a merchantile nationalistic country with very different strategic interests would be a huge mistake from a security standpoint. From a technology standpoint it will stiffle innovation, thereby leaving consumers with technology years behind what could have been in a fair competitive environment.

By: Aaron Baker

Aaron Baker — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:55:00 +0000

This country is using “the art of war” on us in trade. They steal our technology, they steal our trade, they steal our music, movies and software and they counterfeit our brands.

By: Captivation

Captivation — Thu, 03 May 2012 23:15:00 +0000

Actually, our views don’t seem too far apart on this. I certainly don’t advocate a strong world government, and I also acknowledge there will be lots of problems with such an institution. But the need for “cooperation” will become increasingly obvious and eventually lead to the same place. So perhaps I should rephrase my concept and speak instead about the need to create a representative (elected) institution of world cooperation.

By: Hope

Hope — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:03:00 +0000

And prior to the east, America stripped the guts during much of the 20th century from the birth place of the industrial revolution: England. WWII was the nail in the coffin, and industry in England slowly suffocated during the next half century.

I’m sure there are historic precedents pre-industrial age as well.

I don’t think a globally dominating entity in the form of government will solve any problems, just create avenues for corruption on unprecedented scales. Cooperation, not homogenization. The body functions via symbiosis within a single unit, society could do the same.

By: Akbweb2

Akbweb2 — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:24:00 +0000

Actually establishing a level playing field that includes the ability to enforce infractions would be a great start, but that isn’t likely to happen…

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:52:00 +0000

Solar panels have a low labor input. IIRC about 10% of the panel cost is created by labor costs. The difference between Chinese and US labor costs are largely offset by shipping costs to bring Chinese panels here.

The machinery and processed silicon that China uses largely comes from the US. The playing field is pretty level in these areas.

What it seems we need is more advantageous loan programs for US panel producers.

Problem is, if we were to try to provide government loans/loan guarantees we’d hear screams of “SOLYNDRA!!” from the right.

By: Reality Check

Reality Check — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:39:00 +0000

“China has a plan! Somehow that just must be illegal!”

Too bad we don’t.

By: _ds_

_ds_ — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:36:00 +0000

I think there are two sides to this story, and only one represented here. I’m no expert, just my opinion. The US and other countries are more than happy to let China be their sweat shop and make loads of inexpensive things for us to buy. But when China starts kicking butt in the markets we have not delegated to their sweat shops we cry and call them cheaters. Why don’t you next do a story from their perspective ?

By: rommel43

rommel43 — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:31:00 +0000

The funny thing is to me that theres tons of people who will complain that we just cant compete because we pay our workers to much or some other free market bullshit but this proves that direct government involvement is the most effective way to get something going

By: Captivation

Captivation — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:37:00 +0000

This economic cut throat behavior was always so much fun when we did it to others, but its a lot less fun when others do it to us. And the process seems to accelerate as the economic miracle of Japan creates the economic miracle of China which triggers the economic miracle of India, followed by the economic miracle of Brazil.
Its great that these countries are successful, but their successes are so complete that they shatter the rest of the global economy.
If the whole thing builds into two or three warring world trading blocks, then we have the answer to the Fermi paradox. IE – the galaxy contains no enduring civilizations because they destroy each other due to economic competition/instability.
The solution will bother some people – but we need to create a world government that can reduce some of this competition.