Forum Post: Solar Panel Supply
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 19, 2011, 9:03 p.m. EST by oldFitz1
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China accused of dumping cheap solar panels in US. As a 52 year old capitalist I say "so what". If US can't or won't make them for cost plus a 3% - 6% markup to bad. How much $ is enough $?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204485304576641292005899326.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
China can make solar panels for cheaper than we can because they don't have to pay their workers hardly anything and they don't have to spend precious money on things like workplace safety.
Hence the reason for Solyndra to not be able to survive. 500 million tax payer dollars, 1.5 billion private investers. down the drain. They blamed the market. The market is unfair. Who made it unfair? Probably those that make the laws and regulations...hmmm.
If thats the case, why is our govt. investing in Solar?
Good question. I'm all for government funding R&D but it should not be trying to play venture capital fund. Especially when it appears not to be very good at it.
And the quality coming out of China is crap and most people can't tell the difference.
I think the point is that even at 3%, they still significantly under-cut us and that's at least partially due to currency manipulation (as we see it anyway).
If I remember right, the Chinese panels come in at less than half the cost of US-made panels.