The Photo voltaic Empire Strikes Again!

Help CleanTechnica’s work by way of a Substack subscription or on Stripe.

The temper on the annual US Renewable Power Market convention this month was somber. Buyers, analysts, and builders had been in settlement that photo voltaic is poised for a interval of consolidation by which smaller builders that may’t entice capital are pressured to restructure and unload tasks, based on a report by Bloomberg.

The trade has been sucker punched by the failed US administration, which is ripping up incentives for renewable vitality whereas it shovels tens of billions of latest advantages towards a fossil gas trade that spent almost a half billion {dollars} to get the folks it prefers elected.

“We took an enormous hit over the summer season,” Abby Ross Hopper, CEO of the Photo voltaic Power Industries Affiliation (SEIA), mentioned at this yr’s convention. “For many individuals in our trade, it did actual, lasting harm.” Nonetheless, renewable vitality trade leaders insisted that energy market dynamics stay on their facet amid insatiable demand for electrical energy to function large knowledge facilities for synthetic intelligence.

Why? As a result of photo voltaic is reasonable and quick to construct. If in case you have a necessity for an reasonably priced new provide of electrical energy now, not 5 to 10 years from now, photo voltaic is the one sport on the town. Batteries are proving able to mitigating the intermittent provide points the administration all the time harps on when criticizing photo voltaic. As well as, the trade is continuous to relocate extra of its provide chain and manufacturing functionality to the US.

Invoice McKibben Talks China & Photo voltaic

Invoice McKibben says to not rely photo voltaic within the US out simply but. In his newest weblog publish, the tireless renewable vitality advocate compares the US and China and finds a transparent winner. He cites a report out this week from the Internet Zero Industrial Coverage Lab at Johns Hopkins which begins by saying, “A fast acceleration in abroad funding by Chinese language inexperienced know-how producers is reshaping the worldwide clean-tech panorama. Since 2022 alone, investments have surged previous $220 billion, spanning sectors resembling batteries, photo voltaic, wind, new vitality autos, and inexperienced hydrogen. These investments now attain 54 nations throughout each main area.

“The database catalogs 461 inexperienced know-how manufacturing tasks introduced between 2011 and the primary half of 2025. The 11 low carbon know-how sorts within the database are: batteries, battery supplies, charging infrastructure, electrical buses, electrical bikes, inexperienced hydrogen, new vitality autos, NEV elements, photo voltaic, storage, and wind. Tasks are mapped by yr, nation, clear know-how sort, firm, funding scale, manufacturing capability, and venture standing.”

This is a gigantic endeavor, and McKibben highlights one portion of the report, which says, “Chinese language companies have pledged at the very least $227 billion throughout inexperienced manufacturing tasks. A high-end estimate approaches $250 billion. This surge of abroad inexperienced manufacturing funding is unprecedented. It now surpasses the $200 billion — in present 2024 {dollars} — invested by the US over 4 years of the Marshall Plan (emphasis added), at a time of comparable American dominance of producing in key industries.”

Greater Than The Marshall Plan

Greater than the Marshall Plan? Holy heck, that’s an incredible statistic. Bloomberg contributor David Fickling wrote this week, “This may be seen because the second stage of the China-led international vitality transition. The primary, which continues to be only some years outdated, got here from exports of completed merchandise — photo voltaic panels, EVs, and batteries.

“Due to that commerce, about two thirds of rising markets now have a bigger share of solar energy of their grids than the roughly 9% within the US, based on a separate examine this week from pro-transition suppose tank Ember. One in 4 are electrifying their complete economies extra quickly.

“EVs are being adopted in Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates at a tempo to match and even exceed developed markets. The US is more and more resembling a steampunk relic nonetheless depending on nineteenth century furnace and turbine know-how to gas its goals of synthetic intelligence. (emphasis added)” That final sentence ought to shock the conscience of each American.

Chopping Demand For Fossil Fuels

Whereas Chris Wright, the fracking buffoon tycoon who now heads the US Power Division, is traipsing Europe making an attempt to browbeat nations into shopping for extra local weather killing LNG from the US, the remainder of the world is laughing at Uncle Sam and its refusal to acknowledge the clear vitality revolution that’s occurring proper beneath its nostril. Fickling continues:

“This commerce is already affecting demand for fossil fuels. China’s photo voltaic exports final yr alone had been adequate to chop long-run international carbon emissions by 4 billion metric tons, equal to about 40 days of emissions. Pakistan, which has for years handled fuel technology because the spine of its energy community, has been asking suppliers to defer shipments of liquefied pure fuel after a surge of photo voltaic imports suppressed grid demand. Saudi Arabia is going through one of many quickest declines in petroleum utilization wherever as photovoltaic farms substitute gas oil mills.

“These exports have raised hackles and commerce restrictions, nevertheless, attributable to their sheer scale. What’s totally different concerning the second stage of this transition is that overseas direct funding is constructing bodily factories, ports and amenities that can generate jobs and investments for many years to come back, cementing host nations’ dedication to scrub know-how. Such greenfield spending is like planting a seed: You don’t see its full affect till years later.”

In different phrases, by the point the US twigs to the truth that it has been taking part in a shedding hand, will probably be too late to do something about it and America gained’t be nice, will probably be irrelevant.

The Actual Existential Menace

Inside Secretary Doug Burgum is travelling with Chris Wright to drum up curiosity in US-supplied LNG. He and Wright each sing from the identical track guide, telling anybody that can pay attention that local weather change is not any large deal. Burgum mentioned this week, “We have to fear concerning the people which are on the planet in the present day. The actual existential risk proper now’s not one diploma of local weather change.”

That comment completely flabbergasted Invoice McKibben, who mentioned: “I feel that explains the issue with America in a single sentence. We solely care about now — the president has an consideration span of three minutes, and company executives can’t see previous the following quarter. Whereas the Chinese language are clearly considering many a long time into the longer term, which they plan to personal.”

McKibben asks why any nation would throw its lot in with the USA, which has revealed itself to be an unreliable enterprise and political associate, when it will possibly personal a bunch of Chinese language clear vitality tech that will get paid for as soon as and provides carbon-free electrical energy for many years?

Africa Poised To Leapfrog Over Fossil Fuels

He factors out that prematurely of local weather talks scheduled for later this yr, African nations are indicating they’ve had sufficient of Uncle Sam’s damaged guarantees, prevarications, and greed. As an alternative, they’re demanding local weather investments — which is exactly what China is providing. These investments by China will quickly remodel Africa, whereas lowering US affect all through the continent.

A brand new report by Enterprise Inexperienced places the annual financial savings for a renewable vitality planet at $1 trillion a yr — “simply by saving on the price of shopping for gas when the solar will ship it at no cost. That’s excellent news for nearly everybody aside from these individuals who personal oil wells and coal mines. Sadly, for the second in addition they personal our authorities,” McKibben says.

Within the unkindest minimize of all, he writes that his travels all through America recently have satisfied him “the last word objective of the Trump administration is seemingly to show us into the colonial Williamsburg of inside combustion. Proper now, Beijing is providing low-cost, clear energy, employment, commerce, and a path to prosperity. Washington is providing tariffs, coverage chaos, White nationalist memes, and South Korean employees in shackles after a raid on an EV battery manufacturing unit. That is no method to win the grand strategic contest of the twenty first century.”

One imaginative and prescient will prevail. In the meanwhile, the US, burdened by the hatred inherent in MAGA idiocy ideology, appears intent on being one in all historical past’s largest losers and doing every little thing in its energy to make that dystopian imaginative and prescient a actuality.