[RE-wrenches] Chinese solar cells and modules and pricing

[Antony Tersol]

"Our foreign deficit to them will continue, as our national debt was
41% of the economy last year.....now this is unsustainable.......we
are over leveraged as a society as a whole........."

"On the economics equation- sure vote with your wallet to improve the
balance of payments and perhaps your client base is willing to pay a
premium for the made is usa solar panels, ..."

"Perhaps offering the client a choice deserves their attention and let
them choose...."

Clients come in many varieties.  In some, if not most cases, they rely
on us for our expertise and guidance.  Nothing compels us to offer all
products regardless of the source.  If raw economics were the only
criteria we might not sell any solar modules at all.  The drive for
sustainability is about extending our considerations beyond the
immediate - to consider the larger impact of our choices - the total
life cycle costs and the externalities.  How narrowly or broad one
draws the lines is the question we are considering here.  Is it
sufficient to present all modules as if completely described by the
manufacturer's specifications and price per watt, or should we attempt
to consider the broader impacts?

"A protectionism type of only buy from the usa will hurt our economy
... but its success is questionable."

We are not limited to the choice of "buy only American" or "buy from everyone".

There are Made-In-Usa and Made-in-Mexico and Made-in-Japan and
Made-in-Philippines and ...

None of the above choices involve totalitarian governments.  Mexico is
our neighbor and helping their economy will reduce a number of
problems that directly impact us.  As I understand it, those factories
often use cells manufactured in the US, and aluminum from the US, and
reduce the impact of shipping halfway across the world.

Adam Smith's "free market" presumes the existence of "perfect
knowledge" to guide the "invisible hand".  If we do not share and use
our knowledge are we helping the market to be more or less free?