2012 was a big year for solar, both domestically and globally, with some unlikely players throwing their hats into the ring and upping the ante on achievable power generating capacity. Here's a wrap-up of some of the year's most impactful events in the solar industry, with a little added perspective from some experts in the field.Renewable Energy
A Look Back at Solar Energy in 2012
Vince Font
(h/t Climate Progress)
Some good news. It's happening in spite of some bankruptcies and industry consolidation.
“Falling pricing is a double edged sword. It’s great for deployment, it’s great for the consumer, and it’s caused greater amounts of solar installation. On the other hand, falling prices have yielded smaller margins for manufacturers, making it tougher to survive in a very competitive climate.”...
In the United States, 2012 showed evidence that growth in the solar industry occurred at a much faster rate than other industries. According to The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census report, U.S. employment in the solar industry grew at a rate of 13.2 percent and the sector added 13,872 jobs in 2012, while Bureau of Labor statistics indicated that solar accounted for 1 out of every 230 jobs created.
This information may seem to fly in the face of the numerous solar company bankruptcies and consolidations that have taken place globally in the last year, but according to Kimbis, that’s par for the course in an emerging industry
“It’s just like any other industry,” Kimbis said. “Competition is extreme. This is something that the industry has known about for awhile; companies have been bracing for global competition for the last several years. It’s a story which has repeated itself through everything from personal computing, to telecom, to the automobile industry.”
3 comments:
Lets hope the low grade suppliers from China go the way of the Do Do Bird, I have seen first hand cheap pirated low grade parts for main propulsion diesel engines for merchant ships, and I just had a recall on a low grade heating element in a new dishwasher, "GE?" appliance, also low grade copper chinese evaporator coil failed in the 6 year old central ac unit, and cheap plastic ice tray chopper "GE" labeled chinese made crap. The germans BMW Mann engine manufacturer issued licenses to China and they are sorry, the Koreans not as bad, but still off spec parts persist. How many solar units are made in China and labeled US?
Bob,
Agree their stuff is all crap. Just did a whole new set of axels on my small car after having them replaced last November... only lasted one year... and I know people who have been dissatisfied with some stainless steel tubing that had pin holes...
Then of course their is the radioactive drywall they sent over here a few years ago when moron Rumsfelds DoD bought out all the domestic stock for Iraq reconstruction, etc...
I have great concerns for the people who will have to drive over the new Bay Bridge in SF area that the traitorous CA Dept of Trans outsourced to the Chinese...
But the prices are extremely low and this brings people in.
As far as GE, Immelt is on the record lately extolling the virtues of the Chinese system... what is disgraced human being.
Here is a report out on a note from current day slaves working in China:
http://www.oregonlive.com/happy-valley/index.ssf/2012/12/halloween_decorations_carry_ha.html
We should shut all of this down... I dont see any long term good coming out of it...
rsp,
There's no reason that the Chinese MUST create crap. After all their capital equipment is probably the most modern.
Also, I recall that the Japanese went through a similar low quality period until they beat the pants off Detroit for its "planned obsolescence" abomination whereby the design goal was for American cars to completely fall apart after 3 years.
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