China Dictating to Silicon Valley
“Chinese manufacturers have helped send the price of conventional solar panels plunging and grabbed market share far more quickly than anyone anticipated.”
“A few years ago, Silicon Valley start-ups like Solyndra, Nanosolar and MiaSolé dreamed of transforming the economics of solar power by reinventing the technology used to make solar panels and deeply cutting the cost of production. … But as the companies finally begin mass production—Solyndra just flipped the switch on a $733 million factory here last month—they are finding that the economics of the industry have already been transformed, by the Chinese. … ‘The solar market has changed so much it’s almost enough to make you want to cry,’ said Joseph Laia, chief executive of MiaSolé.”