As Biden administration calls for more green energy, U.S. 'at the mercy of' Chinese solar panel industry dominance

As the Biden administration steers the country toward relying more on solar power, China is presenting obstacles that may hinder the nation's goal of achieving cleaner green energy.

Experts say China has positioned itself to be the OPEC of green energy and leads the world in the production of solar panels allegedly through the use of forced labor. China has also called for an increase in coal use which essentially nullifies any gains the U.S. can make in more global green energy use.

According to The New York Times, President Joe Biden has announced a $555 billion climate package ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties Summit (COP26). The package contains provisions to steer the country toward using more electric vehicles and tax incentives to encourage utilities to move away from coal and natural gas energy production.

The state of Texas will likely play a key role in the nation's goal of producing more solar power. A 2021 profile of Texas by the U.S. Energy Information Administration noted that the state is the second largest producer of solar power behind California.

A point of issue at the COP26 summit is China's increasing coal output. CNN reports that China has been experiencing rolling blackouts for the past few weeks and has ordered its coal mines to increase output to meet demand. Even before the increased coal production, China already produces the most carbon dioxide of any nation in the world, nearly doubling the United States’ output of 5.41 gigatons as of 2018, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.

According to an article published in Forbes by Kenneth Rapoza, eight of the top 10 solar manufacturers in the world are Chinese and Rapoza makes the case that China is set up to be the world’s “Green OPEC.” David Zaikin, an energy industry consultant and founder of Key Elements Group in London, told Forbes that “one of the biggest mistakes the West has done on green policies to cut CO2 emissions and trying to reduce dependence on oil and gas producing nations is that the transition to renewable energy puts the West at the mercy of China.” 

The Coalition for Prosperous America calls Chinese dominance of the solar supply chain a threat to the independence of the U.S. and calls for a fully American supply chain to ensure not only success but true independence.

To achieve the goal of relying more on renewable energy, the U.S. will likely need to rely on Chinese-produced solar panels. Reuters reported that in 2019, China was the world’s largest producer of photovoltaic products and produces 80% of all solar panels globally.

However, the production of those solar panels allegedly relies on forced labor. In January of 2021, the U.S Department of State published a report detailing the abuses inflicted on the Uyghur population beginning at the latest in 2017. The report detailed incidents of torture, involuntary sterilization and forced labor.

Research from Sheffield Hallam University, a UK-based public research organization, shows that Uyghurs forced into labor in China produce 45% of the world’s solar-grade polysilicon, which 95% of solar modules rely on. The research identified 90 Chinese and international companies whose supply chains would be impacted by the realization that the products are created using forced labor.