Tars
11-19-2009, 09:10 AM
This article stirs mixed emotions. It's good to see increasing movement on creating renewable energy sources for the U.S. At the same time it's frustrating that the "green jobs" being created, especially in hard goods manufacturing, are going to China. As the photo accompanying the article seems to indicate, the U.S. jobs that will be gained by this process are mostly "shovel-ready" - more specifically, low-tech manual labor, installing items made outside the U.S., or in the case of the photo, doing the landscaping work around turbines we have to import. (I'm assuming those aren't foreign workers doing the shovel work)
So much for the idea that "the market will solve everything". It's been obvious for decades now,. that "U.S." corporations don't give a crap about U.S. workers, and will not hesitate to export manufacturing jobs to the lowest foreign bidder.
I recently watched a documentary about the B-29 bomber, considered a technological wonder for its time. It was brought from a dead start to first flight in about two years. We can't kickstart solar panel & turbine industries here in a similar time-frame?
Article from solveclimate.com (https://solveclimate.com/):
Made in America by China: New Turbine Factory Offers Glimpse into the Future (https://solveclimate.com/blog/20091118/made-america-china-new-turbine-factory-offers-glimpse-future)
Excepts:
https://solveclimate.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/300xY/sites/default/files/chinawind.jpg"The Texas wind deal calls for A-Power to manufacture the farm's 240 turbines in China and export them to the U.S. Doing so would create 2,000 to 3,000 new jobs — in Shenyang, China. America would see 330 new jobs, of which only about 30 would be permanent."
"This year, China is expected to beat out the U.S. as the largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world. Solar energy is on the same trajectory."
"in a new report (https://thebreakthrough.org/blog/2009/11/asia_beats_us_31.shtml) released today, the Oakland-based Breakthrough Institute (https://www.thebreakthrough.org/) writes that China, Japan and South Korea are all on track to blow the U.S. out of the water when it comes to reaping rewards of low-carbon technology development."
So much for the idea that "the market will solve everything". It's been obvious for decades now,. that "U.S." corporations don't give a crap about U.S. workers, and will not hesitate to export manufacturing jobs to the lowest foreign bidder.
I recently watched a documentary about the B-29 bomber, considered a technological wonder for its time. It was brought from a dead start to first flight in about two years. We can't kickstart solar panel & turbine industries here in a similar time-frame?
Article from solveclimate.com (https://solveclimate.com/):
Made in America by China: New Turbine Factory Offers Glimpse into the Future (https://solveclimate.com/blog/20091118/made-america-china-new-turbine-factory-offers-glimpse-future)
Excepts:
https://solveclimate.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/300xY/sites/default/files/chinawind.jpg"The Texas wind deal calls for A-Power to manufacture the farm's 240 turbines in China and export them to the U.S. Doing so would create 2,000 to 3,000 new jobs — in Shenyang, China. America would see 330 new jobs, of which only about 30 would be permanent."
"This year, China is expected to beat out the U.S. as the largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world. Solar energy is on the same trajectory."
"in a new report (https://thebreakthrough.org/blog/2009/11/asia_beats_us_31.shtml) released today, the Oakland-based Breakthrough Institute (https://www.thebreakthrough.org/) writes that China, Japan and South Korea are all on track to blow the U.S. out of the water when it comes to reaping rewards of low-carbon technology development."