Mutual US-China solar power rush

China’s leading company in solar power, Suntech, is about to pick the site for its first plant in the USA only shortly after an American competitor, First Solar Inc., announced its first breakthrough into the Chinese market.

Both developments have spurred enthusiasm in the sector, as both USA and China are now perceived to become growth areas.

“If you (China) announce that we have such a huge need for solar panels that we are even going to put First Solar panels into China, all of a sudden we’ve gone from this massive threat to maybe we saw it the wrong way around. Maybe we should see the size of the Chinese market as this enormous upside potential, and maybe all of solar should be seeing it much more positively,” Stephan Dolezalek, Managing Director of US venture capitalists VantagePoint Venture Partners, tells China Daily.

The success of First Solar Inc. has inspired another US company, SunPower, which already manufactures a part of its solar panels in China, but has so far not gained any major contracts in the Asian country.

“It clearly makes us more bullish on China. We hope that (…) will result in us being able to penetrate that market as well,” Tom Werner, SunPower’s Chief Executive, tells China Daily.