In this week's Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague and co-host John Weaver examine the widening gap between China and the United States in clean energy deployment. The hosts analyze new data from Stanford Professor Mark Jacobson showing China is on track for a clean economy by 2050, while the US lags a century behind. They discuss record battery installations, solar manufacturing shifts, and what these trends mean for energy independence and economic competitiveness.

Episode Highlights:

• China projected to reach a clean economy by 2050, US not until 2148 at current pace (PV Magazine)
• China installed 65 gigawatt hours of battery storage in December alone, exceeding the US total for the entire 2025 (Benchmark)
• Longi joins push to reduce silver content in solar panel production to cut costs by 10-20 percent (Bloomberg)
• US solar panel manufacturing reaches 65 gigawatts annual capacity in 2025 (Bloomberg)
• Discussion of Dan Wang's book "Breakneck" exploring why China builds infrastructure faster than the US
• Analysis of energy independence as a national security strategy in the context of global oil conflicts
• First Solar, Qcells, Heliene, and other domestic manufacturers lead US solar production growth

The data shows China moving at unprecedented speed in clean energy deployment, while the US faces a critical choice about accelerating its transition. Energy independence through solar, wind, and storage is both an economic opportunity and a national security imperative. Share your thoughts on how the US can close this gap in the comments below.

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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

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