Much like the Ontario government, a growing number in the US are concerned about the potential for supply of green power technology to come from outside the boundaries of the jurisdiction that uses it. Purchasing equipment in the lowest cost jurisdiction may be attractive economically, but it can create political challenges.
For example, when taxpayers in a given jurisdiction are expected to pay premiums to increase the use of renewables, they may well have expectations that the technology for that power be produced close to home.
In a report from Apollo Alliance, a US based green energy group, the alarm bells are being sounded: “The Breakthrough Institute study, Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant, finds that China, Japan and South Korea are poised to out-compete the United States for dominance of clean energy markets because those countries are outspending the U.S. by at least three-to-one on clean energy infrastructure and technology. China alone plans new direct investments in clean technology of at least $440 billion to $660 billion over ten years.
“By comparison, the U.S. will invest $172 billion over five years in clean technology if the Senate approves a clean energy and climate bill similar to the House-passed American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES).
“In addition to the larger public investments by Asian countries, the report says that the direct and coordinated nature of the investments ‘will confer significant advantages by developing each of the areas necessary to achieve a competitive economic advantage in the clean energy industry: research and innovation, manufacturing, and domestic market demand, as well as supportive infrastructure.’”
For a copy of the Rising Tigers report, see http://thebreakthrough.org/blog/Rising_Tigers.pdf