Solar Concerns are fighting for their green image. The renewable energy sector offers many new business opportunities that also bring financial investments and new incentives.
But how green is the green development?
Components like silver or lead or Cadmium-Telluride are not always only good for the environment. These elements bring a lot of toxic substances for the environment. Therefore the EU wants to implement new rules and regulations to manage renewable energies, its waste and its “dark sides”.
Der Spiegel – a German News Magazine- published an amazing article at the 25.04.2010. The article states that the industry can not only get easily divided by “good solar energy” and “bad nuclear energy production”. It is more complicated and contains much more trouble and of course there is always a “dark side”.
The solar modules contain toxic components that have a deep impact on the “green” reputation of energy generation. Now the EU is implementing new rules and regulations that prevent the usage of toxic substances. This will cause massive problems for the solar industry.
Expensive recycling or changing production?
The change of production and its “ingredients” would cost the industry millions of €uros and would take years also to get back to a proper and efficient production. Therefore the manufacturers are using another strategy: expensive recycling > change of production.
DeutscheSolar is such a company that got established by the development of the solar sector and is benefiting from the huge demand.
PresseText Deutschland a industry press agency- that states the development in a very objective and general way. It is interesting to read its fact but you have to be quiet “into” the topic to understand the technical language.
Other newspapers as the Financial Times or The Guardian are just approving the growth of the industry. I prefer the German press at this stage because there is much more information about possibilities and challenges in the new market.
The situation brings up new businesses of recycling and other options. For financial investors, this option has a lot of potential according to Spiegel. But still Solar-recycling has to face huge challenges before the niece market will be established.
Financial investments are heavily influenced by European rules and regulations that build the “umbrella” for the different countries in Europe.
The volcanic action in Iceland brought up the topic of “how much power does the EU have over its member countries?” referring to the inefficient and slow decision taking from the responsible departments in Europe.
With this new business sector I just want to demonstrate the massive possibilities of growing and changing niece markets in a more globalized world. Financial investments are necessity to get new markets developed. The “conflict” between the member countries of the EU and its “EU umbrella” will give us a challenging time of finding the “right way” in doing things in Europe. Subsidies, tax regulations, import/export rules and quotas are all financial mechanisms that influence the development and the working together between states.
Solar recycling, the development of green energy supply and other fast developing industry sectors will always have a “dark side”. The objective of the governments should be to stimulate growth of such important and futuristic sectors but also to take care of an intelligent financial, economical and political development for the next decades.
The sun is shining, the wind is blowing…
Sources:
Spiegel:
http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/0,1518,688779,00.html
DeutscheSolar:
http://www.deutschesolar.de/Recycling.293.0.html
Pressetext:
http://www.pressetext.de/news/060613029/siliziummangel-solarbranche-forciert-recycling/
Financial Times:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/48087984-321c-11df-b4e2-00144feabdc0.html
Very good. 8
ReplyDelete