http://earthandindustry.com/2010/12/back-in-black-us-now-a-net-exporter-of-solar/Back in Black: US Now a Net Exporter of Solar
by Timothy B. Hurst on December 18, 2010
US net solar exports topped $700 million in 2009
As the narrative that China has already won the the race for global domination in the clean energy sector dominates the news, a new study suggests that early reports of the demise of the U.S. solar industry may be greatly exaggerated.
The report (pdf), published this week by GTM Research, showed U.S. net exports totaled $723 million in 2009 with U.S. solar installations creating $2.6 billion in direct value to the U.S. economy. And in the context of the broader economy, U.S. trade in the solar industry was found to be more balanced than the overall economy, which had a trade deficit of $374 billion in 2009.
“The U.S. imports and exports product from every continent. But in addition to being a major net exporter of solar energy products, the industry is creating significant wealth in the United States and jobs in all 50 states,” said Rhone Resch, President and CEO of Solar Energy Industry Association, the largest solar industry trade association in the U.S.
US Solar trade balance
The area with the most domestic value creation in the solar industry came in the photovoltaic sector which claimed 81 percent of the total. The largest solar energy product export is polysilicon, the feedstock for crystalline silicon photovoltaics, of which the U.S. exported $1.1 billion in 2009.
<snip>
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
