Solar Panel Prices and Xinjiang

[Mark]

The Real Solar-Panel Price Crisis Hasn’t Begun Yet:
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/artic ... t-xinjiang:

Averting climate change could turn on whether the industry can become less dependent on Xinjiang and still keep up supply of a vital raw material.

Like the fashion trade, aluminum sector and cryptocurrency mining, the solar industry has become deeply entangled with Xinjiang. If it’s unable to credibly separate its supply chain from claims of human rights abuse, the consequences will be dire — both for China and the world.

The cost of solar panels has rocketed, in large part due to supplies of polysilicon. A lot of it is produced in Xinjiang, where genocidal crimes against minority communities continue to be perpetrated by the Chinese state.

Will the international business community push for a ban on Xinjiang products ?
If so, looks like it would just mean new manufacturing centres being set up elsewhere in China, relegating Xinjiang PV products to their domestic market ?
Suspect we'll continue just to turn a blind eye ?

[adam2]

Polysilicon is not that hard to manufacture, and could be made outside china if required.
I dislike china for a number of reasons and prefer when possible to avoid chinese goods.

Once manufactured, solar panels are a green source of electricity, but manufacture involves considerable energy input, largely from coal in china, and pollution.