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Daily Archives: February 4, 2015

U.S. Solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing: Industry Trends, Global Competition

U.S. Solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing: Industry Trends, Global Competition, Federal Support. Michaela D. Platzer, Specialist in Industrial, Organization and Business. January 27, 2015.
“Every President since Richard Nixon has sought to increase U.S. energy supply diversity. Job creation and the development of a domestic renewable energy manufacturing base have joined national security and environmental concerns as reasons for promoting the manufacturing of solar power equipment in the United States. The federal government maintains a variety of tax credits and targeted research and development programs to encourage the solar manufacturing sector, and state-level mandates that utilities obtain specified percentages of their electricity from renewable sources have bolstered demand for large solar projects. The most widely used solar technology involves photovoltaic (PV) solar modules, which draw on semiconducting materials to convert sunlight into electricity. By year-end 2013, the total number of grid-connected PV systems nationwide reached more than 445,000. Domestic demand is met both by imports and by about 75 U.S. manufacturing facilities employing upwards of 30,000 U.S. workers in 2014. Production is clustered in a few states including California, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. Domestic PV manufacturers operate in a dynamic, volatile, and highly competitive global market now dominated by Chinese and Taiwanese companies. China alone accounted for nearly 70% of total solar module production in 2013. Some PV manufacturers have expanded their operations beyond China to places like Malaysia, the Philippines, and Mexico. Overcapacity has led to a precipitous decline in module prices, which have fallen 65%-70% since 2009, causing significant hardship for many American manufacturers. So me PV manufacturers have closed their U.S. operations, some have entered bankruptcy, and others are reassessing their business models. Although hundreds of small companies are engaged in PV-related manufacturing around the world, profitability concerns appear to be driving consolidation, with fewer than a dozen firms now controlling half of global module production.”

Study – Decoding sugar addiction

Separate neural circuits control sugar cravings and healthy eating, researchers find. Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. January 29, 2015 “Together, obesity and Type 2 diabetes rank among our nation’s greatest health problem, and they largely result from what many call an “addiction” to sugar. But solving this problem is more complicated than solving drug… Continue Reading

CDC Vital Signs: Secondhand Smoke

Vital Signs: Disparities in Nonsmokers’ Exposure to Secondhand Smoke — United States, 1999–2012. February 3, 2015 / 64 (Early Release);1-7 “No level of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is safe. SHS exposure occurs when nonsmokers breathe in smoke exhaled by smokers or from burning tobacco products. It kills more than 400 infants and 41,000 adult nonsmokers… Continue Reading

CDT Letter on Body Cameras to the Task Force on 21st Century Policing

“The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) provided recommendations related to body-worn cameras in response to the Task Force on 21st Century Policing consideration of the issue and request for public comment. With use of body cameras rapidly expanding across the country2 and federal legislation being offered for nationwide use, CDT is pleased to see the Task Force addressing… Continue Reading

Social Network Privacy Social Networking facebook in re Facebook

EPIC – With New Policy Changes, Facebook Tracks Users Across the Web: “Over the objections of consumer privacy organizations, Facebook has implemented policy changes that allow the company to track users across the web without consent. The Dutch data protection commissioner launched an investigation after the original announcement. This week the a German privacy agency… Continue Reading

FCC Finds U.S. Broadband Deployment Not Keeping Pace

Fact Sheet: Chairman Wheeler Proposes New Rules for Protecting the Open Internet Appendix E Wheeler Statement Clyburn Statement Rosenworcel Statement Pai Statement O’Rielly Statement From Wheeler Statement: “Today, by issuing the first Broadband Progress Report of my chairmanship, the Commission offers its assessment of where we stand. We found that we have made notable progress,… Continue Reading