A new era of made-in-USA solar, There are both challenges and benefits to boosting solar manufacturing in America. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 includes a host of measures to support the production of US renewable energy technologies and could foster a new era for made-in-America solar.
US President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order calling for the establishment of resilient American supply chains intended to, in part, advance the fight against climate change. To achieve the current goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035, the US Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that solar energy would need to grow from 4% of electricity supply today to 40%. A new era of made-in-USA solar, This kind of growth will increase the demand for everything along the solar supply chain, from polysilicon through to modules. With both goals in parallel, the desire to foster a domestic supply chain and the necessity to ramp up renewables, the question begs: to what extent can the domestic US solar supply chain be expanded to meet clean energy goals? The solar supply chain has long been reliant on products from China, or from Chinese subsidiaries in Southeast Asia. As of 2021, China was responsible for manufacturing a dominant share of the solar supply chain, according to statistics from the US Department of Energy.
As a manufacturer, China has a mixed reputation in terms of its environmental and social credentials, as much of its electricity generation utilizes coal, and there have been credible accusations of human rights violations in a region where some solar manufacturing is located. Given this and various other trade disputes, the United States has also had an unpredictable and somewhat fraught trade relationship with China. A new era of made-in-USA solar, Securing a domestic supply chain to support the United States’ clean energy transition has become increasingly important since the start of the global energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the Sydney Energy Forum in July, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm cautioned against “relying too much on one entity for our source of fuel.” anholm described the transition to renewables as “the greatest peace plan of all” because countries cannot be “held hostage” over access to the sun or wind.
Source: This news is originally published by pv-magazine-usa