Japan cedes solar power lead to Germany; China closing gap

[jpak]

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070620f3.html

Germany's solar power output was about twice that of Japan in 2006, according to a recent study conducted by a research organization.

Japan had long been a forerunner in solar power. But in 2005, Germany unseated Japan as the world's largest solar power generating country and the gap in output between the two is widening, according to the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies.

The results of the study by ISEP also suggests Japanese companies, which still control about 50 percent of the world's production of solar power generators, are facing increasingly tough competition from German and Chinese manufacturers.

"Japan's solar power generation will further fall behind other countries if we don't drastically review current energy policies," said Tetsunari Iida, executive director of the nonprofit research body.

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[kestrel91316]

1. More proof that the US is the "Greatest Nation on Earth", and

SUCH a leader!!!

Rah rah!!!!

[jpak]

2. "We invented it first!!!111"

:evilgrin:

(well...we DID...)

:(

[Benhurst]

3. Yeah, but that was back in the days of the Republic.

[Dead_Parrot]

6. Technically, I think it was Alexandre Becquerel...

A French dude. Now, let's think: where do the the French, with ~170 years of experience in photoelectrics, get their electricity from...?

:P

[aquart]

4. Why isn't our name on this list, please?

[Dead_Parrot]

5. You'd think it should be easy...

After all, we're only talking about 0.06% of Germany's energy. Can't be that hard, can it?

Or course, we could always worry about the other 99.94%... :shrug:

[NNadir]

7. Wow. Thanks for pointing this out!!!!!!

And here we were all worrying about Germany and China burning coal.

It turns out that all the people worrying about the climate change impact of these two countries were out to lunch. No greenhouse gases from them...

Whew.