During Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), former President Donald Trump’s running mate, drew attention to China’s overwhelming control of the global solar panel supply chain. Vance’s assertion that China dominates the industry is supported by recent estimates, which indicate that the country is responsible for more than 80% of the world’s solar panel production.
Vance emphasized the implications of this dominance, arguing that investing in solar panels manufactured in China would not only fail to achieve environmental goals but also harm the US economy. “When we spend billions of American taxpayer dollars on solar panels made in China, we’re not making the economy cleaner, we’re making it dirtier,” he said.
The senator advocated for a different approach, suggesting that the US should focus on increasing domestic energy production to effectively address environmental concerns. “If you really want to make the environment cleaner, you’ve got to invest in more energy production,” Vance emphasized.
Data from a recent report supports Vance’s claim, revealing that China’s grip on the solar panel supply chain is unlikely to loosen in the near future. According to a Reuters report from November last year, China is expected to maintain its control over more than 80% of the world’s solar manufacturing capacity until at least 2026, and will be capable of meeting global demand for much of the next decade.
