Hawkeye Reporter

As President Joe Biden's administration steers the country toward relying more on solar power, experts warn that an increased dependence on renewable energy will make the U.S. more reliant on China.

Some states have adopted renewable portfolio standards that seek to implement renewable energy as a source of electricity, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. These policies “drive the nation’s $64 billion market for wind, solar and other renewable energy sources.” Iowa does not have current renewable portfolio standard goals as the previous goals expired, but the state is focused on reaching 105 megawatts of generating capacity for investor-owned utilities. So the shift to green energy could cost Iowans.

The International Money Fund recently released a statement detailing how the push for clean energy could significantly raise prices for core metals including copper, nickel, cobalt and lithium, for years to come, according to Globe Banner. “Prices could reach historical peaks for an unprecedented length of time — and even delay the energy transition itself,” the statement said, according to the article.

The main beneficiary of the green energy boom might be China. The Institute for Energy Research stated that the United States' recent withdrawal from Afghanistan might have given China direct access to a region that is estimated to be sitting on mineral reserves valued as high as $3 trillion, Globe Banner reported Sept. 19. 

“The chaos may offer China, which dominates the world market for rare earths widely used in technology, to step in to develop the mineral reserves, which also include lithium, used in the manufacture of batteries,” MarketWatch said, according to Globe Banner.

To achieve the goal of relying more on renewable energy, the U.S. will likely need to rely on Chinese-produced solar panels. As of 2019, China was the world’s largest producer of photovoltaic products, responsible for creating 80% of all solar panels globally, according to Globe Banner. However, the production of those solar panels allegedly relies on forced labor. In January of 2021, the U.S. Department of State published a report detailing the abuses inflicted on the Uyghur population beginning in 2017 and detailed incidents of torture, involuntary sterilization and forced labor.

Globe Banner reported that research from Sheffield Hallam University, a U.K.-based public research organization, shows that Uyghurs forced into labor in China produce 45% of the world’s solar-grade polysilicon, which 95% of solar modules rely on. The research identified 90 Chinese and international companies whose supply chains would be impacted by the realization that the products are created using forced labor.

According to an article published in Forbes by Kenneth Rapoza, eight of the top 10 solar manufacturers in the world are Chinese and Rapoza makes the case that China is set up to be the world’s “green OPEC.” 

“One of the biggest mistakes the West has done on green policies to cut CO2 emissions and trying to reduce dependence on oil and gas producing nations is that the transition to renewable energy puts the West at the mercy of China,” David Zaikin, an energy industry consultant and founder of Key Elements Group in London, told Forbes.

At the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, the United States and China issued a joint pledge to decrease their emissions in the coming years. However, the deal lacks specificity, according to NPR News.