Has U.S. Already Lost the Green-Tech Race? By Christina Larson, YaleEnviro360, February 12, 2010. "China is becoming the wind-turbine [and solar panel] factory to the world for much the same reasons it has long been the TV and t-shirt factory to the world: lower wages, lower land prices, fewer regulatory and other requirements, etc. This isn't particularly surprising, and it shouldn't be seen as a reversal of the status quo... Most of the green manufacturing jobs that the U.S. stands to 'lose' haven't in fact been created yet; China will gain thousands of new jobs, but not necessarily at America's expense. Moreover, the United States will still gain many new green-collar jobs, in installation and maintenance, which can only be locally based, as well as sales teams, conference planners, and other positions already arising to support the growing green-tech field...
"Besides green-tech hardware, there's also the question of the technology that enables it. Who will be responsible for the innovation that drives the low-carbon future? At present, America still has significant advantages -- including the world's leading university system and the entrepreneurial culture and venture-capital spigots of technology hubs, particularly Silicon Valley... Even as China's solar panel exports grow, it continues to purchase clean locomotives from an American company, GE. Germany has developed world-class 'green' metro cars, with China being a top customer. And French companies are among the world's top innovators in water solutions. In other words, green-tech encompasses a lot more than windmills and solar panels -- and progress in developing it can be a two-way street."
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