Grady Trimble of FOX Business speaks to an executive at one of the few companies that makes solar panels in the US
Solar panels manufactured in the United States “cannot compete” with Chinese prices, as demand for green energy increases under the Biden government, according to an American manufacturer.
Paul Mutchler, director of commercial energy operations at Mission Solar Energy in San Antonio, Texas, told FOX Business’s Grady Trimble that being unable to compete with China in price has led the company to “compete in quality”. Mission Solar Energy is one of the few companies that makes solar panels in the USA
“We have to make sure that everything we do here is of a higher standard than anything else,” he said on Monday.
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Mutchler’s comments come amid President Biden’s emphasis on green energy, promising to achieve a net zero electricity grid by 2035 and a net zero economy by 2050.
The president has already signed a flurry of executive orders aimed at making the United States economy no longer dependent on fossil fuels towards cleaner, more renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power.
Two-thirds of all solar panels in the world are produced in China, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), and Mission Solar Energy is one of the few companies that manufacture panels in the U.S.
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“Everything we do is here in the United States supporting jobs in the industry,” said Mutchler. “We try to make sure that everything is done to a very high standard, even though there are a lot of things coming from abroad.”
The Texan Mission Solar Energy plant was also challenged by the recent deadly winter storm and is approximately one week late in production due to power outages.
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Jonathan Garber of FOX Business contributed to this article.