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Solar PV market doubled to 6 Gigawatts in 2008 — U.S. left in dust, having invented the technology

By Joe Romm on Mar 17, 2009 at 4:36 pm

solarbuzz-2008.jpg

After growing 19% in 2006 and 62% in 2007, world solar photovoltaic (PV) market installations exploded by 110% last year to a staggering 5.95 GW, according to Solarbuzz’s Annual Report, Marketbuzz 2009:

Europe accounted for 82% of world demand in 2008. Spain’s 285% growth pushed Germany into second place in the market ranking, while the US advanced to [a very distant] number three. Rapid growth in Korea allowed it to become the fourth largest market, closely followed by Italy and Japan.

And who is the leading producer of PV cells?

China and Taiwan continued to increase their share of global solar cell production, rising to 44% in 2008 from 35% in 2007.

Yes, the United States created the solar cell industry and literally launched it into space 50 years ago. And, yes, solar PV is going to be one of the largest job-creating industries of the century, projected to grow “from a $20 billion industry in 2007 to $74 billion by 2017.”

And, yes, today America has precisely zero of the top ten PV plants (down from 1 last year), with our market share having plummeted in the past decade, as the figure below makes all too painfully clear:

Read more

Politics

CNBC hires former Bush flack Tony Fratto.

By Ryan Powers on Mar 17, 2009 at 4:35 pm

Earlier today, CNBC discussed a congressional proposal to create a systemic risk regulator for the financial industry. To analyze the feasibility and necessity of such a regulator, CNBC introduced one of its newest “contributors,” Tony Fratto, who most recently served as former President Bush’s Deputy Press Secretary. But rather than comment on the merits of the systemic risk regulatory plan, Fratto simply claimed that Congress is “dangerously” motivated to over regulate by a thirst for “vengeance” stemming from the current financial crisis. Watch it:

As Pat Garofalo explains at the Wonk Room, Fratto is far from a reliable voice on the economy. Last year, Fratto first claimed that no one was predicting a recession and then argued that admitting the U.S. is in a recession was “relatively irrelevant.” Garofalo asks CNBC, “Was Phil Gramm unavailable?”

Health

Sally Pipes, No More Substantive Than Peeps

By Igor Volsky on Mar 17, 2009 at 4:30 pm

peeps.jpgWhen Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) asked health care crisis denier Sally Pipes about her credentials to testify as “an expert” on health care issues before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, Pipes’ lack of any serious background in health care policy exposed her real function. You see, Pipes doesn’t hold a masters degree in health policy or public policy. Nor she does have much experience in academia:

Listen:

With her ‘BA with honors’ in economics, Pipes leads a tiny ‘think tank,’ Pacific Research Institute, and advances special interest (PRI’s list of donors include Altria (formerly known as Philip Morris), Microsoft, Pfizer and ExxonMobil) agendas. PRI promotes itself a s “free-market think tank,” but Pipes offers little in the way of solutions. During her testimony, Pipes simply regurgitated Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) health care plan:

If we could change the tax code to level the playing field by removing the tax advantage from those who get their insurance through their employer, reduce state mandates that add between 20-50% to the cost of a premium, allow the purchase of insurance across state lines, and have medical malpractice reform, we could reduce costs and significantly reduce the number of uninsured in this country.

Pipes’ real contribution is her ability to conflate the administrations’ health care proposals with the evils of socialized Canadian medicine and reference discredited health care crisis deniers along the way. For instance, when Braley asked Pipes why “dont’ people who come from your point of view come to this committee and talk about constructive ways we’re going to reduce preventable medical errors” and lower overall health care costs, Pipes quoted fellow health care denier Betsy McCaughey!

The most outrageous moment of the hearing, however, belonged to Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ). In trying to keep the committee on time, Pallone accidentally pronounced Pipes as Peeps. Happy Easter, Sally!

Yglesias

Commercial Republics and Public Policy

By Matthew Yglesias on Mar 17, 2009 at 4:14 pm

Sign

“In short,” writes David Brooks, “the United States will never be Europe. It was born as a commercial republic. It’s addicted to the pace of commercial enterprise. After periodic pauses, the country inevitably returns to its elemental nature.”

And it’s true, the United States will never be Europe. Among other things, I find it doubtful that we’re going to build any Gothic cathedrals or Versailles-style palaces over here. But at the same time, before the United States was born as a commercial republic, the Netherlands (pictured above) was a commercial republic. For that matter, Venice was a commercial republic even before that. These days, the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. But it’s still pretty commercial in nature. Which doesn’t stop the Netherlands from having universal health care, a robust public transit network, and relatively strong labor unions. For that matter, I don’t think anyone could deny that Dutch-derived New York City has a pretty commercial nature. And yet New York has a “European-style” brand of walkable urbanism, relatively strong labor unions, and if federal policy where made by New York’s elected officials you can bet we’d have universal health care.

Now I doubt Brooks would deny any of that. But the point is that “Europe” is a very strange and shifting signifier in the discourse of the American right.

Politics

Canadian activists build ‘shoe cannon’ to hurl shoes at effigy of Bush.

By Ben Armbruster on Mar 17, 2009 at 4:05 pm

bushshoeweb.jpgFormer President Bush is in Calgary today giving his first speech since leaving office last January. While it appears Canadian human rights lawyers and activists were unsuccessful in banning Bush from Canada (he arrived safely last night), protesters have gathered to rally against Bush’s invasion of Iraq and his terror and detention policies. As part of the protests, local activists have collected shoes from Canadians around the country and constructed a shoe cannon that will launch shoes at an effigy of Bush:

Footwear has been collected and a cannon has been constructed to toss shoes at an effigy of the much-maligned leader in homage to the Iraqi reporter who chucked his loafers at Mr. Bush last December and was sentenced last week to three years in prison.

Over the weekend, activists held a mock trial and found Mr. Bush guilty of committing war crimes and urged authorities to arrest him when he steps foot on Canadian soil.

“We had shoes sent in (to us) from across the country,” said Colette Lemieux of the Canadian Peace Alliance. “It doesn’t matter that he is no longer president,” she added. “A bank robber who stops holding up banks can and must still be prosecuted for his crimes.” The same applies for Bush, she said.

Economy

CNBC Hires Former Bush Flack Tony Fratto As On-Air Analyst

By Pat Garofalo on Mar 17, 2009 at 3:39 pm

Today, Congress is discussing if and how to create a systemic risk regulator for the financial industry, which would oversee all financial institutions and prevent activities that could pose a threat to the entire economy. To analyze the feasibility and necessity of such a regulator, CNBC turned to President George Bush’s Deputy Press Secretary, Tony Fratto, who was introduced as a “CNBC Contributor.”

Fratto’s main point of concern with the push for regulation is that Congress is “dangerously” motivated by “vengeance” and might over-regulate:

Congress right now, Washington in general, is motivated — dangerously — by vengeance right now on the Wall Street firms and I think that’s a real concern. I know it’s a concern on the Street right now.

Watch it:

CNBC has been under fire for pandering to investors and billionaires, while failing to report that Wall Street was over leveraged, taking on too much risk, and in a position to implode the economy. So who does CNBC turn to to discuss policy aimed at preventing another meltdown? A Bush flack who:

- Said admitting that the country is in a recession was “relatively irrelevant” when implementing economic policy.

- Falsely claimed early last year that no one was predicting a recession.

- During the original TARP debate, “sought to beat back efforts to limit the pay of CEOs whose companies would draw assistance under the legislation.”

- Argued that TARP was “unfairly characterized as a boon to Wall Street at the expense of Main Street.”

Furthermore, Fratto worked for an administration that unveiled a sweeping deregulation plan just months before the economic crisis hit and appointed regulators who made it clear they planned to deliver less supervision over the financial services industry. Fratto also served as communications director for former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), who just last week said “I really do believe that the fundamentals of American economy is [sic] still strong.”

Seriously, CNBC? Was Phil Gramm unavailable?

Yglesias

Ratzinger: Condom Distribution “Increases the Problem” of AIDS

By Matthew Yglesias on Mar 17, 2009 at 3:27 pm

condom.jpg

Joseph Ratzinger, the Pope, is in the business of saving souls, not lives. So while I may find an ethical doctrine that says it’s important to oppose programs that promote condom use notwithstanding the cost in human life abhorrent, I also to some extent need to put it in the “agree to disagree” file. But when the Pope says that distributing condoms “only increases the problem” of AIDS then he’s gone beyond idiosyncratic ethical views and into fraudulent factual ones. The man has a lot of followers and a lot of influence. Under the circumstances, I think he has a real responsibility to inform himself on these issues and choose his words carefully. Mark Goldberg observes:

Two million people died last year because they did not use condoms during sex. Now, I understand that the Pope’s religious mores prevent him from advocating any kind of contraception. But is it too much to ask that if you cannot be part of the solution, at least don’t be part of the problem?

Apparently it is. Needless to say, there’s already a big problem of ignorance around the issue of condom use in Africa and this is not helping.

Politics

Republicans Who Opposed Wall Street Salary Caps Last Month Now Condemning ‘Outrageous’ AIG Bonuses

By Lee Fang on Mar 17, 2009 at 3:15 pm

shelb.gifAs outrage mounts over the $165 million in executive bonuses paid to AIG staffers, many Republicans are trying to tap into the widespread public anger by striking uncharacteristically populist tones. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Banking Commitee ranking member Richard Shelby (R-AL) have said the following in recent days:

MCCONNELL: “Well, it is an outrageous situation. I wrote Secretary Paulson back in October complaining about the way AIG had been doing its business. […] This is an outrage.” [ABC News, 3/15/09]

SHELBY: “We ought to explore everything that we can through the government to make sure that this money is not wasted. [...] A lot of these people should be fired, not awarded bonuses. This is horrible. It’s outrageous.” [AP, 3/16/09]

However, when Congress debated limiting executive pay last month, these same key Republican lawmakers stood firm in opposing such caps. McConnell argued against the “temptation” to “dictate” business practices when it comes to salaries and bonuses:

MCCONNELL: “I really don’t want the government to take over these businesses and start telling them everything about what they can do. [...] We have to resist the temptation to basically dictate to these businesses how to run every aspect of their operation.” [ABC News, 2/4/09]

Similarly, Shelby demanded a laissez-faire approach to executive compensation as Congress pressed Secretary Paulson for details of the bailout plan:

SHELBY: “It should be up to the board of directors of a private corporation to set the compensation of an executive; it shouldn’t be Congress’s role.” [Washington Post, 9/23/08]

Not all conservatives have backtracked from their previous positions on executive compensation. Rush Limbaugh, on his program yesterday, said, “I am all for the AIG bailouts, and I am all for the AIG bonuses. Well, I’m not for the bailouts, well, in a way I’m for the bailout because I’m for the bonuses.”

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), on the other hand, says he simply feels “outraged” but is not yet walking back what he said in September on opposing salary caps: “I’m not necessarily advocating going forward, that the federal government be able to set salaries across the board for any company.”

Politics

Fox News apologizes for dishonest splicing of Biden clip.

By Satyam Khanna on Mar 17, 2009 at 2:48 pm

Yesterday, ThinkProgress noted that Fox News spliced a six-month old clip of Vice President Biden to misleadingly imply that he recently said the “fundamentals of the economy are strong.” Today, Fox News’s Martha MacCallum apologized to viewers and said it was an “inadvertent” error:

MacCALLUM: Yesterday during a segment on the recent change in tone from President Obama’s economic team, we inadvertently used a piece of video of Vice President Biden saying “the fundamentals of the economy are strong.” This video was from the campaign trail when the vice president was a candidate and was actually quoting Sen. John McCain. When we get something wrong we admit it. We did so yesterday, and for that we apologize.

Watch it:

“These are the types of mistakes we can expect to arise when a television network is so hungry to make a partisan point,” ThinkProgress’s Faiz Shakir said Tuesday. “It ended up fabricating the facts to bolster a false right-wing argument. It’s not fair and it’s not balanced.”

Yglesias

Gates, Obama to Take on Military-Industrial Complex

By Matthew Yglesias on Mar 17, 2009 at 2:44 pm

There have been a lot of smoke signals indicating that Robert Gates and Barack Obama are gearing up to take on the bloated defense weapons system sector, but there have also been a fair number of contrary signals. Now the signals are looking both clear and good:

Two defense officials who were not authorized to speak publicly said Gates will announce up to a half-dozen major weapons cancellations later this month. Candidates include a new Navy destroyer, the Air Force’s F-22 fighter jet, and Army ground-combat vehicles, the officials said. More cuts are planned for later this year after a review that could lead to reductions in programs such as aircraft carriers and nuclear arms, the officials said.

This is excellent news. Matt Duss observes:

This is welcome news. As I wrote yesterday, one of the key strategic misconceptions of the Bush administration was to focus on threats from strong state actors rather than non-state actors operating within weak and failed states. (Last fall, CAP’s Brian Katulis argued — as did I — that Gates’ demonstrated approach to 21st century national security challenges was a good reason to keep him in place in an Obama administration.)

Andrew Exum observes that this means the Gates Pentagon will now be fighting a three front war, adding “the bi-partisan coalition of lobbyists, congressmen, and industry leaders” to their existing problems in Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Gordon Adams in a guest post at Democracy Arsenal takes on the specious economic argument for continuing with strategically blinkered weapons programs.

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