Future of solar depends on the federal government continued funding of solar research
Dept. of Energy laying off solar energy researchers
On Monday, Oct. 5, Stuart Farrell had planned to take the morning off from his job as a researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., after being awake all night taking care of his sick 2-year-old son. But at 10:30 a.m., he received a call asking him to come in for an 11:30 meeting.
“I woke up, got myself as awake as possible, and came into work,” Farrell said. “My manager and I went to a meeting with the person above him, and they told me that I was let go. And I had the rest of that day to pack up my stuff and leave.”
Farrell, who had worked in solar energy research at the laboratory for two and a half years, was one of 15 solar research staff members laid off that day due to federal funding cuts, according to NREL public affairs manager George Douglas. And another 40 to 60 staff members are expected to be lost through a voluntary separation program that the lab will initiate on Oct. 12.
Almost all of the researchers already laid off were involved in “next generation,” or long-term, solar research, Douglas said. Farrell’s work, for instance, involved research on improving the efficiency of cadmium telluride solar cells.
Federal funding for solar energy research has declined steadily over the past several years, despite emphasis from the Obama administration on continued investment in research and development of clean energy technologies. These cuts have affected the federal solar program at large, not just solar research at NREL.
Questions about scientific competitiveness. According to a
2015 report from the Congressional Research Service,
China produced about two-thirds of the world’s solar modules in 2013, most of which were exported. And the same report notes, “
[U.S.] imports of solar cells and panels nearly tripled from 2009, reaching $3.6 billion in 2013,” most of which came from Asia. In contrast, the U.S. exported $350 million in photovoltaics to the world in 2013.
So while the U.S. does continue to embrace solar as an alternative energy source, its role in international development and manufacturing of photovoltaics may be
shrinking. “It’s sad to see that manufacturing element [moving offshore], but we live in a reality of a global marketplace,” Compaan said.
“As solar becomes more and more competitive, even without subsidies or without incentives, the need for a trained work force gets more and more urgent,” said Compaan, from Lucintech. “This lack of funding is really impacting our ability to follow through on commitments when it comes to reducing carbon emissions and taking the steps to mitigate climate change.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...deral-solar-researchers-just-lose-their-jobs/
Old saying: R & D follows manufacturing. The dollars are made in manufacturing with sales to fund R & D. As manufacturing moves offshore, so does R & D.
You don't create jobs here by driving up the energy cost here. You don't create jobs here by driving up the cost of manufacturing here.
Eventually, there is no employment for R & D here other than that funded by the taxpayer. Even that won't help since those discoveries will benefit competitors outside of the U.S. since there is no manufacturing employment here.
