China’s Solar Dominance Presents Biden With an Ugly Dilemma

President Biden has repeatedly pledged to work with China on issues like climate change while challenging Beijing on human rights and unfair trade practices.

But those goals are now coming into conflict in the global solar sector, presenting the Biden administration with a tough choice as it looks to expand the use of solar power domestically to reduce the United States’ carbon dioxide emissions.

The dilemma stems from an uncomfortable reality: China dominates the global supply chain for solar power, producing the vast majority of the materials and parts for solar panels that the United States relies on for clean energy. And there is emerging evidence that some of China’s biggest solar companies have worked with the Chinese government to absorb minority workers in the far western region of Xinjiang, programs often seen as a red flag for potential forced labor and human rights abuses.

Source: NYTimes #Apr21

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/20/business/economy/china-biden-solar-panels.html

#China #Solar #Biden #UnitedStates

Solar power supply chain could be tainted with Uyghur forced labour, report says

According to a new report, solar panels might have a dark side: almost half of the production of a key part of solar panels come from Xinjiang, China — a region of China which activists have flagged as rife with the widespread internment and forced labour of Uyghurs.

Almost all solar panels rely on one primary material — solar-grade polysilicon — and approximately 45 per cent of the world’s supply comes from Xinjiang, according to the report from the Sheffield Hallam university’s Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice in the United Kingdom.

Source: Globalnews #May29

https://t.co/G4xtuTfjmr

#Solar #Uyghur #Labour #Xinjiang

China outspends US in ASEAN investment blitz

China plans to open a big solar panel module plant in Malaysia and build a 580 km highway in Laos, part of a charm offensive as the U.S. steps up efforts to counter Beijing's influence in Southeast Asia.

The plant will be built by Chinese solar power giant Risen Energy, which has agreed to invest 42.2 billion ringgit ($10.1 billion) in the photovoltaic industry in Malaysia, the nation's Ministry of International Trade and Industry announced June 24.

The day before, China held an online meeting with cabinet ministers of partner countries in its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. Beijing offered COVID-19 vaccines and cooperation as these nations struggle to shift to low-carbon economies. Risen Energy's investment decision likely reflected the wishes of Beijing policymakers.

Source: Nikkei Asia #Jul05

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/China-outspends-US-in-ASEAN-investment-blitz

#China #Malaysia #Solar #Covid19

Behind the Rise of U.S. Solar Power, a Mountain of Chinese Coal

Solar panel installations are surging in the U.S. and Europe as Western countries seek to cut their reliance on fossil fuels.

But the West faces a conundrum as it installs panels on small rooftops and in sprawling desert arrays: Most of them are produced with energy from carbon-dioxide-belching, coal-burning plants in China.

Concerns are mounting in the U.S. and Europe that the solar industry’s reliance on Chinese coal will create a big increase in emissions in the coming years as manufacturers rapidly scale up production of solar panels to meet demand. That would make the solar industry one of the world’s most prolific polluters, analysts say, undermining some of the emissions reductions achieved from widespread adoption.

Source: WSJ #Aug02

https://www.wsj.com/articles/behind-the-rise-of-u-s-solar-power-a-mountain-of-chinese-coal-11627734770

#US #Solar #Coal #China