, Columnist
The Real Solar-Panel Price Crisis Hasn’t Begun Yet
Averting climate change could turn on whether the industry can become less dependent on Xinjiang and still keep up supply of a vital raw material.
A solar-power plant in Xinjiang.
Photograph: AFP/Getty
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One of the longest-running deflationary trends is grinding to a halt. The consequences could have profound effects on the global ability to avert climate change.
The slumping cost of semiconductor chips since the 1950s transformed our world, turning computers from a costly piece of industrial plant to an ubiquitous presence in our smartphones, watches, cars and refrigerators. Something similar has happened over the past decade to that other critical semiconductor, solar-power cells.