US solar executives visit mainland

The Arkansas-China solar connection is heating up.

The CEOs of two cuttingedge high-tech Arkansas solar companies are heading to China to strengthen partnerships with Chinese manufacturers and promote the building of facilities in the US.

Douglas Hutchings of Picasolar Inc and Corey Thompson of WattGlass Inc were joined by Yang Luo-Branch of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. They are scheduled to arrive at Yingli Green Energy in Baoding, Hebei province on Monday, and from there will visit Shanghai.

“The timing is interesting,” said Yang Luo-Branch, as Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson had just completed his third official trade mission to China prior to US President Donald Trump’s first state visit to China last week.

“I am excited about all the meetings and the warm reception we have been receiving already, but nervous about how much we are packing into a single week,” Hutchings told China Daily.

Picasolar Inc has developed a process to improve the efficiency of solar cells, while WattGlass Inc has an anti-reflective and anti-soiling glass coating to increase the amount of light that reaches the solar cells. The two technologies are complimentary, and both companies are funded by the US Department of Energy.

Yingli Green Energy is one of the world’s leading solar module manufacturers and has partnered with the two US companies to leverage their technological innovation.

In addition to Yingli, the two companies are working with several wellknown Chinese solar manufacturers in an effort to bring down costs.

“The goal of our trip is to finalize the production plans for the equipment and coordinate getting the equipment to our manufacturing partners,” said Hutchings.

Hutchings said it was too soon to comment on the terms of the deal, but he did say that the Picasolar technology is expected to improve module energy output by more than 5 percent.

WattGlass’ coating would not only provide a 3-to-5 percent improvement in efficiency, but also drastically reduce the cost to operate a solar farm, due to not having to clean the panels as often.

WattGlass has also developed the chemistry for completely water-based cleaning while the competition uses solvents that pose problems for storage and waste disposal.

“The Chinese manufacturers we work with have expressed interest in building manufacturing in the United States when the time is right,” Hutchings said.

Hutchings called the transition from traditional energy sources to advanced energy sources “the largest wealth creation opportunity of our time”.

“Trillions of dollars will be spent over the coming decades,” he said, “and I want to make sure that I participate, that our partners participate, and that Arkansas participates in that opportunity.”

He said China has demonstrated its determination to be a leader in this space and he hoped the US would match that drive.

China watchers in the United States have spoken positively of US President Donald Trump’s trip to China last week.

During the Nov 8-10 trip, which was defined by the Chinese government as a “state visit-plus”, Trump described, in multiple tweets and elsewhere, his meetings with President Xi Jinping as “very productive on both trade and the subject of North Korea”.

In Beijing on Nov 8 and Nov 9, US and Chinese businesses signed deals worth some $253 billion, largely involving Chinese purchases of US products from planes to soybeans.

Jon Taylor, a China scholar and professor at the University of St Thomas in Houston, said Trump’s trip “went as well as could be expected”.

“While obvious differences remain, the two leaders demonstrated a genuine respect for each other. That may be the biggest take going forward — that they understand each other and their counterpart’s positions — on issues such as trade imbalances, the Korean Peninsula, and market access,” he said.

Taylor said that he is encouraged by talk of mapping out a new blueprint to remain partners as opposed to being rivals, which reinforces the dialogue that begun in April at Mar-aLago in Florida.

“I think that President Xi summed it up best when he said that when working together, China and the US can accomplish many great things of benefit to the entire world,” he said.

Ted Carpenter, a senior fellow of defense and foreign policy studies at Cato Institute, said the visit turned out to be better than expected, given the considerable apprehension leading up to the meeting between Trump and Xi.

“Both leaders engaged in a gratifyingly cordial exchange of views,” Carpenter said, adding that there also was definite progress about how to deal with the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

“Although President Trump (like most American leaders) still seemed to believe that Beijing has more leverage over Pyongyang than actually is the case, he abandoned his insulting and confrontational rhetoric toward Kim Jong-un’s regime and indicated a willingness to conduct meaningful negotiations,” said Carpenter, adding that it is a stance that China has urged for years.

He observed that Trump also noticeably softened his statements and policy positions regarding trade issues with China. “His comment that he did not blame China for the habitual bilateral trade deficit was especially surprising and constructive, given his previous protectionist statements,” Carpenter said.

While noting there was little substantive movement on other policy differences, including Taiwan and the South China Sea, Carpenter said those are complex issues that were not likely to be resolved in a short meeting.

“The important aspect was that those contentious matters were discussed in a cooperative, non-confrontational manner,” he said. “All in all, it was a surprisingly friendly and modestly successful summit.”

“It’s a joyful and successful visit by all indications,” said Zhiqun Zhu, a professor of political science and international relations at Bucknell University.

He said Xi and Trump further developed their friendship during the visit, and the warmth and chemistry between the two leaders definitely help the maintenance of a stable and friendly US-China relationship.

“With such a positive framework and constructive environment, difficult issues can be discussed and problems can be resolved satisfactorily,” Zhu said.

According to Zhu, the USChina relationship is always marked by competition and cooperation. If the two sides choose cooperation, they can achieve a win-win outcome; if they choose confrontation, there will be high tensions in the relationship and no positive results.

Jon Taylor Zhiqun Zhu Ted Carpenter

Douglas Hutchings

Corey Thompson