It is not out of place to mention here that last week U.S. Senate passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill while adopting a $3.5 trillion budget plan. Five core areas of spending focus on families, climate, healthcare, and infrastructure, and jobs. What’s new about it? It happens all the time.
This time a proposal from Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) was adopted that would prohibit renewable energy projects receiving federal funds and subsidies from purchasing materials, technology, and critical minerals produced in China.
Earlier, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a withhold release order on silicon-based products made by Hoshine Silicon Industry Co. The Chinese company is located in the Xinjiang province, an area under global concern for forced labor practices. Hoshine produces industrial silicon and a small number of polysilicon products that would be relevant to the solar industry.
It isn’t any secret that China manufactures solar panels with inexpensive coal power and low-wage workers. “Unethical labor practices run against everything we stand for as an industry and are counter to our values,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, President, and CEO of SEIA. “It’s on us to be vigilant and take steps to ensure the solar industry is free of forced labor practices”
If the alleged proposal gets the necessary approval, then any solar project using components produced in China could not receive the federal ITC or other tax rebates. The point to be noted here is that this would not just affect solar panels and their materials coming from China, but any component used in a solar project.
“If we are going to build out our domestic renewable energy industry, we need to have an honest conversation about where we are sourcing these materials,” Sen. Sullivan said. It is high time to form a better supply chain of such critical products and minerals and not dependent upon the important grid and electrical control and other solar imports made in other countries. Ban on China – a pill that is bitter in taste, like the solar industry may face some issues in the beginning but is a much-awaited step.
Solar power is the key to clean energy future. Every day, the sun gives off far more energy than we need to power everything on Earth. That is why the entire world is continuously investing heavily in solar plants and their related technology.
Witnessing the advantage of solar power and experiencing it being the need of the hour, California’s Energy Commission’s five-member panel voted unanimously to require the inclusion of solar and battery energy storage on many new commercial buildings.
Hotels, offices, medical offices and clinics, retail and grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and civic spaces like theatres, auditoriums, and convention centers are the types of buildings that are included in the proposal. After final approval, the plan would go into effect from 01.01.2023.
On the other side of the world, India has reached 100 GW of installed renewable energy capacity. The nation which recently celebrated its 74th Independence Day recently ranks fourth in terms of installed RE capacity in the World. An interesting fact is that besides the installed 100 GW, 50 GW RE capacity is under installation and 27 GW under tendering stage. According to the Central Electricity Authority, Solar Energy stands for 44% of the installed RE capacity.
No greenhouse gas emissions are released into the atmosphere when you use solar panels to create electricity, and because the sun provides more energy than you will ever need, electricity from solar power is a very important energy source in the move to clean energy production.
Compare your own solar options today
Whether you’re building a home in California or another state, it’s worth exploring your solar options. If you’re interested in seeing what you can save with a solar panel system, start with our no-obligation solar plant layout for your building. All you have to do is to answer a few short questions. Click here.
