Who’s winning the solar energy race?

Around the world, countries are embracing solar energy  with open arms. Countries are highly motivated to switch from coal to renewable energy. As wealthier countries plan to invest billions of dollars these renewable energy projects, we may be pressured to pick a side. With U.S.’s political climate favoring natural gas and China enforces the lead of  manufacturing of solar panels, do we have to pick sides from the superpowers to be? Is there a hidden agenda? Let’s find out. Almost two-thirds of the world's solar panels are made in China. China’s government subsidies and protectionist plans reduces the production costs by almost 80 percent. Meanwhile overseas, the U.S. is heavily anchored by subsidies promoting oil and gas  research and production. It’s become the world's biggest gas producer while aggressively ramping up export capacity. In 2017, the U.S.  became a net exporter of natural gas for the first time in six decades. Industry leaders say they envision a day when natural gas becomes another political and economic influence, rivaling Russia who’s the second-largest gas producer in the world. 
 

Nations clash over renewable energy 

While The U.S. has  spends heavily on solar manufacturing to catch up, and China has strived to expand its natural gas infrastructure.  China's dominance in manufacturing solar panels and America's emergence as the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas could be a potential  conflict for other countries ramping up their  new energy infrastructure. For developing nations that are a bit more dependent on outside investment  for budgets and building  infrastructure, might be in a pickle to  choose between   U.S. gas or buying Chinese-made solar panels. When the time comes, when nations outside of the U.S. and China do choose, it can impact them financially and politically. "We may be looking at the world where people would have to make energy infrastructure decisions based on alliance or geopolitical considerations over system-wide optimal solutions," says Jane Nakano, a senior fellow in the Energy and National Security Program at the think tank CSIS. China, Nakano adds, "has been a consistent supporter of clean energy investment and also innovation, and that could really disadvantage the U.S. remaining in this global supply chain for clean energy."
 

China wants to be the world's largest solar farm

China wants to be the world's largest solar farm in Pakistan (the U.S.'s on-again/off-again ally) while also winning a lucrative contract build a nuclear reactor in Argentina. These projects harness infrastructure and other investments to build Chinese influence globally.  If you want to find out what solar panels are right for you, go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. You can see how much you can save over the next 20 years by going solar, and we can help find local solar installers who can help. For more information relating to going solar, don't forget to visit our solar blog section for more handy guides and articles.