Featured in Empowered with PV – 12-2017

Vulnerable solar markets and what makes them tick

Part I*: The wild and unruly U.S. solar marketplace. Why wild and unruly? With a dwindling manufacturing landscape but rising demand, the marketplace is looking increasingly imbalanced and vulnerable to the whims of global forces, thanks to poor decision-making at government level.
Twenty years ago, the U.S. accounted for some 42% of global solar shipments. This year, that share has fallen below 1% as wild, unruly practices have taken hold.

A marketplace, by definition, is a place where buyers and sellers meet to negotiate their way to the equilibrium price. Marketplaces are often actual places, but most often are more of an amorphous idea than an actual, physical meeting place. This is a shame, because much is lost when the personal connection disappears. The U.S. …

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