tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post7451596112913041749..comments2024-01-16T08:40:53.682+00:00Comments on <a href="http://www.openeurope.org.uk">Open Europe</a>: China's divide and conquer approach looks to be paying off in deal on solar panel disputeOEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00556463374230498875noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-43293459920243737142013-08-01T15:29:40.074+01:002013-08-01T15:29:40.074+01:00PV panels are black to absorb up to 95% of incomin...PV panels are black to absorb up to 95% of incoming solar energy. They turn 10% of this into electricity. The remainder goes only to one thing: heating the air. That is contributing to global warming. Why we are subsidising global warming devices made by Chinese near-slave labour defeats me.Rollohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18255460090580758354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-35535487716049725372013-07-29T23:39:25.483+01:002013-07-29T23:39:25.483+01:00OK, so the EU can claim that it has preserved a sm...OK, so the EU can claim that it has preserved a small, protected solar panel industry that is so inefficient that it can supply only a small fraction of EU needs, and has no chance at all of competing with China in third markets, and this triumph will cost the EU consumer quite a lot.<br /><br />Whatever would we do without the EU? Become more efficient? Move into markets where we actually can compete?<br /><br />I sometimes think that the EU exists primarily to make the exact same economic mistakes the UK Labour Party made from 1945 to 1979.jon liveseynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-77489167094903753322013-07-29T15:10:56.033+01:002013-07-29T15:10:56.033+01:001. Imposition is against Community interest is a v...1. Imposition is against Community interest is a valid reason not to impose an AD levy.<br /> Looks to give the Commission an awful lot of room anyway and a tradewar with China is hardly in the interest of the Community as well (as is having to subsidise the organic soybean eaters that buy the stuff, a lot more because of higher prices).<br />Procedure looks chanceless.<br /><br />2. Looks solved swift and professionally, very uncommissionally.<br /><br />3. In my experience most of the AD levies are useless and/or based on very dubious work/investigations. China is mainly cheaper because laborcosts are lower simple as that. But often you costs compared with say Norway if there is apparently insufficient cooperation for an investigation.<br /><br />4. More important. It makes clear that all these 'new jobs' in the green industry are simply callones. As soon as it becomes a mass article China can produce so much cheaper that it will kick all European competition out of business. Not even to mention that the IPRs as good as certain will be infringed and with no effective remedies.<br />All the green stuff simply is government expenditure directly or via legal obligation indirectly with nothing added to the standard of living. Just cosmetically increased GDP. The only thing it does is create some economic activity, but at the other end increases costs (and makes outsourcing more likely (Austrian steelmakers and Texas)). Riknoreply@blogger.com