The European Tribune is a forum for thoughtful dialogue of European and international issues. You are invited to post comments and your own articles.
Please REGISTER to post.
My understanding is that mandatory solar is mandatory only where it works, with proper orientation and angle, although I can most definitely be wrong, given the proclivities of bureaucracies.
As for any Tesla product, I'm not 100% confident they will work as advertised for as long as they are warranteed. Musk often makes promises that he doesn't keep, it seems. Solar IS Civil Defense
Terrestrial wind has been sabotaged by a very effective astroturfing operation, which has created a sort of national psychosis that windmills are ugly, dangerous, unecological and, um, unnecessary. Offshore wind, which has barely started, has been targeted in a similar way, but it seems that the government has finally decided to go for it seriously.
Solar has been similarly mishandled. Fun fact : historically, (and I haven't seen any indication that this has changed), local government has been FORBIDDEN from installing solar on publicly owned properties (municipal offices, schools, whatever) because that would require them to borrow money and that would affect France's macroeconomic indicators! Never mind that it's a solid money earner that would enable reducing local taxes while generating enormous amounts of electricity...
The current government, like ALL its predecessors, has, until the past few months, signaled its virtue on renewable energy while doing nothing to enable its widespread adoption. Now all us whining greenies are seeing the stuff we have been proposing for decades becoming official policy overnight... it would piss me off if it wasn't such a relief.
This came about primarily because of the fact that a bunch of maintenance issues affected the nuclear base load, just when the price/availability of gas posed a problem. France's proud energy independence was suddenly very shaky, and the magic market did not provide palatable alternatives. It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
We have cooperatives here who build solar on other people's roofs, often publicly owned properties. The owner of the roof gets a fee for the use of it, the cooperative funds and markets the power production. Shouldn't that be possible in France too? The cooperative I own shares in is small (like most), operates regionally (again, like most) and funds its projects entirely by selling shares.
I collect links to developments in net zero energy building at https:/zeronetenrg.blogspot.com and as a listserv if anyone is interested. Years of links available at the website. Solar IS Civil Defense
AP | Korean firm plans $2.5B in new solar panel plants in Georgia [USA], 13 Jan
Qcells, a unit of Hanwha Solutions, projects it will supply about 30% of total U.S. solar panel demand by 2027, including making solar panel components usually manufactured outside the United States. [....] A new $2.31 billion plant in Cartersville, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta, will hire 2,000 workers and fulfill one of the aims of the climate change and health care law [a/k/a Inflation Reduction Act] that Biden signed in August. The law included provisions from Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both Democrats, allowing companies to claim [federal income] tax credits for making solar panel parts. ...
The law included provisions from Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both Democrats, allowing companies to claim [federal income] tax credits for making solar panel parts. ...
[...] In a letter dated January 9, the French government calls on the EU to accelerate production targets, weaken state aid rules, establish an emergency sovereignty fund [!] and mobilize trade defense instruments -- all in reaction to a recent U.S. bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, which included $369 billion in climate-friendly subsidies. [...] "Very concretely, the Union should set itself production targets to be achieved by 2030," based on the [US federal] model of the bloc's draft Chips Act, the letter says.[S.W.O.T.] ....Europe has many strengths and some weaknesses in the semiconductor value chain [P > R - C]....Despite these strengths, Europe has an over all global semiconductors production market share of less than 10% and is heavily dependent on third-country suppliers. In case of severe disruption of the global supply chain, Europe's chips' reserves in some industrial sectors (e.g. automotive or healthcare devices) could run out in a few weeks, bringing many European industries to a standstill....[fail]The Chips Act is part of the EU's broader effort to ensure Europe doesn't have to rely on countries like China for the < wipes tears > technology that powers modern technology. The bloc is also rapidly reconsidering how it sources its energy [read: fuel, eg. solar radiation, jet stream wind "rivers"] in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine. [...] "These mechanisms could take the form of tax advantages (tax credits LOL!) or direct subsidies targeted at the strategic sectors," the letter states. Those sectors -- the French say -- could include photovoltaics, batteries, hydrogen, and [mining] critical materials. The letter also suggests only ending the relaxation of these state aid rules in 2030. They are currently due to expire at the end of this year. It adds that certain small and medium enterprises [SMEs] should be exempted from state aid limits, particularly if they are involved as ["]partners["] in the EU's [worldwide] Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) program. And it argues that aid notification thresholds for environmental or decarbonization project [finance] should be increased to 20 million per company and per project. The Commission's antitrust enforcers are due to circulate their latest draft of the bloc's emergency state aid rules to EU nations on Friday [13 Jan]. [...]
[S.W.O.T.] ....Europe has many strengths and some weaknesses in the semiconductor value chain [P > R - C]....Despite these strengths, Europe has an over all global semiconductors production market share of less than 10% and is heavily dependent on third-country suppliers. In case of severe disruption of the global supply chain, Europe's chips' reserves in some industrial sectors (e.g. automotive or healthcare devices) could run out in a few weeks, bringing many European industries to a standstill....[fail]
Those sectors -- the French say -- could include photovoltaics, batteries, hydrogen, and [mining] critical materials. The letter also suggests only ending the relaxation of these state aid rules in 2030. They are currently due to expire at the end of this year.
It adds that certain small and medium enterprises [SMEs] should be exempted from state aid limits, particularly if they are involved as ["]partners["] in the EU's [worldwide] Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) program. And it argues that aid notification thresholds for environmental or decarbonization project [finance] should be increased to 20 million per company and per project. The Commission's antitrust enforcers are due to circulate their latest draft of the bloc's emergency state aid rules to EU nations on Friday [13 Jan]. [...]
In order to preserve the fairness of competition rules internationally, France's letter concludes by saying that "the EU's trade strategy should be more articulated around the defense of the European single market." To this end the Commission should make use of trade defense instruments as outlined in World Trade Organization [WTO] rules, the letter notes.
Taiwan produces 90 percent of the world's most advanced microchips, according to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. TSMC has been increasing its manufacturing capacity outside Taiwan -- with committed investments in Japan and the U.S. state of Arizona [!]. During the call, Wei mentioned the company is also "considering" a second plant in Japan. [...] Up until now, only [US-HQ] Intel has committed to a European move, pledging to build a 17 billion plant in Magdeburg, Germany. [...]
What can Germany give in return? It's no secret that Taiwan is not going to lend Europe a hand in building out its chip production capacity for only state aid [read: tax credits]. ... German lawmakers, on the other hand, have been vowing nonmilitary, moral support. "There's no question to send weapons to Taiwan. That is not the question," Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the Bundestag's defense committee, said while on a trip to Taipei, adding that the message from politicians and people in Taiwan "is not 'please Germany, send us weapons.'" "The situation here is a different one. Our role is less military ... It's an economic question," Strack-Zimmermann said. [...]
It's no secret that Taiwan is not going to lend Europe a hand in building out its chip production capacity for only state aid [read: tax credits]. ... German lawmakers, on the other hand, have been vowing nonmilitary, moral support.
"There's no question to send weapons to Taiwan. That is not the question," Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the Bundestag's defense committee, said while on a trip to Taipei, adding that the message from politicians and people in Taiwan "is not 'please Germany, send us weapons.'"
"The situation here is a different one. Our role is less military ... It's an economic question," Strack-Zimmermann said. [...]
... Since the reshoring support system was introduced in 2014, 126 companies in total have relocated to South Korea, and 77% of those companies (97 in number) were companies that had factories in China. The numbers are followed by 15 in Viet Nam, four in the US, and two in Indonesia....
Will the EU finally realize they have been deceived by both Trump and Biden ... it is about competition and not a "friendly" alliance.
The US needed to block the economic development of both Europe and China.
Strategic sovereignty: How Europe can regain the capacity to act | ECFR - June 25, 2019 |
Then the global pandemic hit and in addition Joe Biden refused to meet with Putin to find an agreement on Ukraine to prevent a devastating war. Energy crisis will hit hard on all essential economic sectors and sustainability to claw back CO2 emissions will be disrupted. 'Sapere aude'
A key lesson learned from the COVID pandemic is how important the ["]international supply chain["] is to national security....The National Security Supply Chain™ is far more than just a military matter -- it is expected to include keeping a country's economy and society healthy. As President Biden noted in his introduction to the [DOD]National Security Strategy released in October, "If parents cannot feed their children, nothing else matters."
China has demonstrated that it is willing and able to use trade as a strategic WEAPONG, targeting supply chains [sic] to force countries to adhere to its geopolitical goals. Although foodstuffs are often [?] sanctioned, as bans can be blamed plausibly on the presence of pests [read: African Swine Fever (2018-2021)], other commodities are also used to punish countries, such as the export of construction sand to Taiwan in 2022, in response to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) visit to the country, or rare earth exports to Japan in 2010, following a maritime dispute in the East China Sea. Although Beijing denied a rare earths ban -- claiming it was just a general reduction on export quotas -- the impact on Japan and the global supply chain was very real. THESE PUNITIVE ACTIONS OVER THE YEARS have persuaded some Western countries to reduce their dependence on China, a movement that gained momentum from the fallout of the COVID pandemic. The European Union's Critical Raw Material Act of 2022 followed several pieces of legislation in the United States, including the CHIPS and Science Act, aimed at countering dependency and building national resilience. However, what governments often do not consider is the threat to national security supply chains from INDIRECT EXPOSURE to China. Recent research by The Evenstar Institute, a London-based think tank, shows how much influence China has over third-party countries that are vital for the West's supply chain. [...] [Captain Obvious] is CEO of The Evenstar Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in London, and co-host of the < wipes tears> "What China Wants" podcast.
THESE PUNITIVE ACTIONS OVER THE YEARS have persuaded some Western countries to reduce their dependence on China, a movement that gained momentum from the fallout of the COVID pandemic. The European Union's Critical Raw Material Act of 2022 followed several pieces of legislation in the United States, including the CHIPS and Science Act, aimed at countering dependency and building national resilience.
However, what governments often do not consider is the threat to national security supply chains from INDIRECT EXPOSURE to China. Recent research by The Evenstar Institute, a London-based think tank, shows how much influence China has over third-party countries that are vital for the West's supply chain. [...] [Captain Obvious] is CEO of The Evenstar Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in London, and co-host of the < wipes tears> "What China Wants" podcast.
UN | Declaration on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order, pp 1-3 précis (Arabic, EN, ES, FR, RU, Mandarin)
[...] The greatest and most significant achievement during the last decades has been the independence from colonial and alien domination of a large number of peoples and nations which has enabled them to become members of the community of free peoples. Technological progress has also been made in all spheres of economic activities in the last three decades, thus providing a solid potential for improving the well-being of all peoples. However, the remaining vestiges of alien and colonial domination, foreign occupation, racial discrimination, apartheid and neo-colonialism in all its forms continue to be among the greast obstacles to the full emancipation and progress of the developing countries and all the peoples involved..... The present international economic order is in direct conflict with curren development in international political and economic relations. Since 1970, the world economy has experienced a series of grave crises which have had severe repercussions, especially on the developing countries because of their generally greater vulnerability to external economic impulses.... All these changes have thrust into prominence the reality of interdependence of all the members of the world community. Current events have brought into sharp focus the realization that the interests of the developed countries and those of the developing countries can no loger be isolated from each other, that there is a close interrelationship between the prosperity of the developed countires, and the propserity of the international community as a whole depends on the prosperity of its constituent parts. International co-operation for development is the shared goal and common duty of all countries. The new international economic order should be founded on full respect for the following principles: [(a) ...(t)] The unanimous adoption of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade was an important step in the promotion of international economic co-operation on a just and equitable basis.... The United Nations as a universal organization should be capale of dealing with problems of international economic co-operation in a comprehensive manner and ensuring equally the interests of all countries.... The present Declaration on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order shall be one of the most important bases of economic relations between all peoples and all nations. 229th plenary meeting 1 May 1974 [!] 3202 (S-VI). Programme of Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order The General Assembly Adopts the folowing Programme of Action: CONTENTS Introduction [p 5] I. Fundamental problems of raw materials and primary commodities as related to trade and development II. International monetary system and financing of the development of developing countries III. Industrialization IV. Transfer of technology V. Regulation and control over the activities of transnational corporations VI. Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States VII. Promotion of co-operation among developing countries VIII. Asistance in the exercis of permanent sovereignty of States over natural resources IX. Strengthening the role of the United Nations system in the field of international economic co-operation X. Special Programme [p 10]
CONTENTS Introduction [p 5] I. Fundamental problems of raw materials and primary commodities as related to trade and development II. International monetary system and financing of the development of developing countries III. Industrialization IV. Transfer of technology V. Regulation and control over the activities of transnational corporations VI. Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States VII. Promotion of co-operation among developing countries VIII. Asistance in the exercis of permanent sovereignty of States over natural resources IX. Strengthening the role of the United Nations system in the field of international economic co-operation X. Special Programme [p 10]
by Frank Schnittger - Mar 22 3 comments
by Oui - Mar 27 23 comments
by gmoke - Mar 17
by Oui - Mar 16 22 comments
by Oui - Mar 15 5 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Mar 9 3 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Mar 14 14 comments
by Cat - Mar 31
by Oui - Mar 31
by Oui - Mar 294 comments
by Oui - Mar 274 comments
by Oui - Mar 2723 comments
by Oui - Mar 22
by Oui - Mar 2211 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Mar 223 comments
by Oui - Mar 1988 comments
by Oui - Mar 1744 comments
by Oui - Mar 1622 comments
by Oui - Mar 1541 comments
by Oui - Mar 155 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Mar 1414 comments
by Oui - Mar 134 comments
by Oui - Mar 128 comments
by Oui - Mar 1112 comments
by Oui - Mar 1060 comments