Post #2820813

2025-10-20 07:48 UTC

@solar_chase@mastodon.green Thanks for this thread, loaded with useful data! A question: what do you make of the fact (IEA) that 80% of the whole PV supply chain is controlled by one country - China - and therefore the today’s PV price is a product of Chinese subsidies, forced labour and poor environmental standards?

Replies (2)

@samueljohnson@mstdn.social 2025-10-20 08:43

@kravietz@agora.echelon.pl @solar_chase@mastodon.green Seriously? China isn't North Korea. It has lifted more people out of poverty than any country in my lifetime. It hasn't done so with forced labour. Its environmental footprint is improving. China's not perfect, sure. But has it overthrown democratically elected governments it didn't like, like the US and UK? Claimed global warming was a hoax and done its best to ramp up hydrocarbon use? We should be grateful for the lifeline & avoid cutting off our noses to spite our faces

Open ##2820814
@solar_chase@mastodon.green 2025-10-20 08:50

@kravietz@agora.echelon.pl it's largely untrue; China has not directly subsidised solar manufacturers for over a decade, the allegations of forced labour relate to a very small section of the supply chain which has a lot more to do with other industries like steel, and environmental standards in China have come a long way, as have salaries. Basically Chinese companies have got good at making solar panels, and good solar panels are the main reason for any climate optimism.

Open ##2820824