Solar News - I'm Confused Yet Pleased

Recently, I've read about BP Solar shutting down, as well as Evergreen Solar, Stirling, and Solon. It got me intrigued, so I started researching why. Apparently, Chinese competition and low prices are beating out American-made (and British/BP and German/Solon) solar panels.
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I would like to ask why this is happening. Instead of fueling American businesses and the "green" movement--which every politician will say they support--the USA is subsidizing unclean meat by supporting "Factory Farming" by making subsidies to Smithfield. But not only Smithfield is subsidized, both Tyson and Cargill are, too. The products of these companies are said to be "contaminated with salmonella, antibiotics and other undesirable pollutants." And Monsanto's chemical use kills competition, too. Food produced by this system can regularly contain salmonella, listeria, e.coli O157, and campylobacter. A family member of mine got campylobacter recently - it's not fun. The US should be subsidizing renewable energy more than--and hopefully soon replacing--subsidies for the meat (and agriculture) industry.

A great movie that talks about this is Food, Inc., and this whole movement to support the decline of health in the USA started with the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996.

It's a cause for concern for me when the price of meat at the supermarket is half the price of the farmer's market. So, I've stopped purchasing meat at the supermarket: simple as that.



Going back to the solar world, though, I've been impressed by India utilizing solar panels. And, it's refreshing to read about how Germany has 20% of its total energy produced by renewable resources. Unlike the US, Germany subsidizes renewable energy; the German Renewable Energy Act uses spends 1 billion euros per month to subsidize new solar installations. This trend shows the direction for the future: Paint-On Solar Cells.