There’s news all over the place about REC and their facility in Moses Lake Washington that is reported to use almost all hydroelectric generation to power the plant, then the REC facility closed down, then Violet Power was going to partner with REC and make new, robust, long lasting solar PV panels with a 50 year warranty, then that was canceled. Then there’s talk of another company buying out REC in the U.S.. All this braggadocio, about how green this silicon foundry is, how it can be run for a couple years before it is shutdown for maintenance and how green it is by using hydro-generated electricity to run the plant. What’s missing here? Why isn’t this plant up and running, making silicon ingots and dies 24/7 for two year runs at a time? As far as infrastructure the U.S. has a silicon foundry that can supply all of the U.S. silicon needs, what’s the problem? Why does the U.S. have IC shortages? Why is it still attractive for American Corporations to off shore operations and depend on someone else’s materials supply chain?

Even under Trump, it has been called out the U.S. needs to form better supply chains and not have important grid and electrical control and protection devices made in ‘other’ countries, under NERC should be manufactured right here in the U.S. instead of China, Russia and Italy. The U.S. needs to harden the grid from HESS and CME events, is this being done, or is it gone with the last administration?

““Unethical labor practices run against everything we stand for as an industry and are counter to our values,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of SEIA. “It’s on us to be vigilant and take steps to ensure the solar industry is free of forced labor practices. Dozens of companies have already stepped up to sign our pledge and we’re calling on the entire industry to join us.””

All I see here is the same ol’ same ol’. Instead of wars for oil, it will be wars for cobalt, wars for lithium, wars for nickel, wars for purified silicon and silicon ICs. What I see as unethical, is allowing manufacturing to go to other countries and leaving this country wanting for jobs, economic prosperity and manufacturing ability, right here at home.