The world is hungry for solar panels. Why did Australia stop making them?

abc.net.au

9 points·adrian_mrd··5 comments

Local Solar Panel manufacturing isn't the problem in Australia. It's the poor maintenance and refusal to upgrade transmission lines to support increased solar feeding into the grid.

In a couple of years residents in South Australia will have to pay to export solar power to the grid. Likewise, it's already possible for the electricity distributor to remotely turn off you solar inverter if excess solar is being generated in your area.

We can’t let those pesky solar panels get in the way of our mates running power plants /s

"Isn't the problem" implies that there exists precisely one.

If n similar companies close and let all employees go, IMO that generally shows that a problem exists. One company shutting down is something happens, two similar ones at the same time is a coincidence, many... generally shows a problem.

Unless, of course, they were closed on purpose (prohibiting alcohol is no good for breweries) or because some resource ran out (mines close when the ore is mined).

In this case, I find it a little difficult to believe that a largely export-oriented R&D-intense industry closed because of transmission and regulation problems in the home country. Possible, needs supporting argument.

Mismanagement and policies that prefer lobbyists, cronyism and shortsighted decisions that benefit fossil fuel companies.

It's a shame that Australia is going this path - it's one of the best placed countries in the world to create a future power based economy.

Simple answer jordies yells it all the time.

"The liberal government!"

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