NYTimes.com: Solar Panel Maker Moves Work to China

NYTimes.com: Solar Panel Maker Moves Work to China

Although solar energy still accounts for only a tiny fraction of American power production, declining prices and concerns about global warming give solar power a prominent place in United States plans for a clean energy future — even if critics say the federal government is still not doing enough to foster its adoption

Beyond the issues of trade and jobs, solar power experts see broader implications. They say that after many years of relying on unstable governments in the Middle East for oil, the United States now looks likely to rely on China to tap energy from the sun.

Unless the government starts mandating a percentage of U.S. content in U.S. solar panel installations, all the new renewable energy manufacturing jobs will end up moving to China.