It’s important to note why the solar and wind manufacturers
have had such a difficult time staying in business or creating jobs. It’s not
because the U.S. isn’t ready yet for alternative energy sources either. Can you say Solyndra?
The U.S. slapped tariffs on Chinese wind turbines. "Chinese manufacturers of towers for wind turbines received unfair subsidies and must now pay duties of 13.7 to 26 percent, the Commerce Department said. The decision, the third trade case decided this year in favor of American wind and solar manufacturers, will be followed by another in the coming weeks on whether Chinese companies engaged in dumping the towers in the United States at prices below the cost of making them. This month, the Commerce Department said China was dumping solar panels in the American market and imposed duties of 31 percent on the imports, adding to earlier duties imposed under a department ruling that China unfairly subsidized its solar manufacturers...American imports of Chinese towers reached $222 million last year, according to the Commerce Department." Matthew Wald in The New York Times.
Meanwhile in Germany, reported on May 28:
ReplyDelete"German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity – equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity – through the midday hours of Friday and Saturday, the head of a renewable energy think tank has said.
Germany's government decided to abandon nuclear power after the Fukushima nuclear disaster last year, closing eight plants immediately and shutting down the remaining nine by 2022. They will be replaced by renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and bio-mass.
Norbert Allnoch, director of the Institute of the Renewable Energy Industry in Muenster, said the 22 gigawatts of solar power fed into the national grid on Saturday met nearly 50% of the nation's midday electricity needs."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/28/solar-power-world-record-germany?INTCMP=SRCH