Chinese subsidies force Evergreen Solar's move to China

[pscot]

ttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/15/business/energy-environment/15solar.html?pagewanted=2&ref=general&src=me

Evergreen was selling solar panels made in Devens (Mass.) for $3.39 a watt at the end of 2008 and planned to cut its costs to $2 a watt by the end of last year — a target it met. But Evergreen found that by the end of the fourth quarter, it could fetch only $1.90 a watt for its Devens-made solar panels, while Chinese manufacturers were selling them for as little as $1 a watt.

Evergreen’s joint-venture factory in Wuhan occupies a long, warehouselike concrete building in an industrial park located in an inauspicious neighborhood. A local employee said the municipal police had used the site for mass executions into the 1980s.

When a reporter was given a rare tour inside the building just before it began mass production in September, the operation appeared as modern as any in the world. Row after row of highly automated equipment stretched toward the two-story-high ceiling in an immaculate, brightly lighted white hall. Chinese technicians closely watched the computer screens monitoring each step in the production processes.

In a telephone interview in August, Mr. El-Hillow said that he was desperate to avoid layoffs at the Devens factory. But he said Chinese state-owned banks and municipal governments were offering unbeatable assistance to Chinese solar panel companies.

Factory labor is cheap in China, where monthly....

[FreakinDJ]

1. Remember when debating the "Stimulus Bill" when I said

"Green Tech will be outsourced to China"

There is NO problem with the American Workers

No Lack of Innovation or Engineering skills in America

No limits what "United We Stand" can accomplish

But no matter what - until they address competing with $0.18 per hr labor this country is finished

[snagglepuss]

2. It was patently clear green jobs would be outsourced because there were

no provisions to prevent outsourcing. My question then and now is why the Admin would have thought otherwise?

[pscot]

3. It's more than just wages

Chinese manufacturers are apparently getting a lot of help from the government. Our response seems to be dictated mainly by American importers of Chinese goods. Not surprisingly, they don't want their boat rocked.

[dkf]

4. The Chinese government is strategic and aggressive.

I'm not sure our government can get it together to do smart things for our country. The Chinese are eating our lunch in many areas nowadays.

[txlibdem]

5. A very salient point

More to the point: the Chinese government *has* an energy plan; the US gov't doesn't. The Chinese *always* follow their plan, the US plan changes every fiscal quarter or by the phase of the moon or whatever other idiotic "whim of the market" TPTB are following at the moment.

We have the best workers in the world, too bad we can't work for $2 a day.

[dkf]

6. I'm not sure our people could keep up with the Chinese worker.

They are being pushed to the limits of their tolerance. We wouldn't take that.

[txlibdem]

8. We can and we are

Every company is cutting back on workers, making each person do the work that 20 years ago would have been done by 3 people. It's in every industry. Are you in management or something?

[pscot]

7. Of course we can work for $2 a day

We can't live on it, but that's not the bosses problem..

[txlibdem]

9. Your being silly

Thanks for making me laugh. I just wish there was no underlying truth to your words.

[txlibdem]

10. ...supposed to be "you're" not "your" --Oops!...n/t

[Nederland]

12. Agreed

It is all about distribution of wealth. Workers in this country need to let go of the notion that American workers are entitled to higher wages than workers in the rest of the world. Until our wages fall to match those of the rest of the world, or the wages in the rest of the world rise to meet ours, we will continue to see jobs exported.

[txlibdem]

11. Where are these $1 per watt solar panels? I can't find any for less than $4, $6 is usual here

Even if they suck that would be a great price. Where do I buy these solar panels at $1 per watt? Please tell us.