Any manufacturing industry needs automation to exist in a global marketplace filled with people that want more stuff for less money. I know, I was a Manufacturing Engineer that lost my job more than once due to the reality.

How about the jobs lost to China and the lack of caring of Americans that keep buying Chinese made junk, rather than hold out for American made products?

Then there’s the politicians including Obama that make political promises of a green economy and jobs with no substance or facts. A green economy will not happen with expensive materials (like labor intensive solar cells) that no one can afford w/o government subsidies. They sucker people into believing the hype above the facts. Stop the illegal aliens and stop issuing H1 visas and there will be jobs for everyone w/o fake promises.

Let the green industries become efficient and there will be a green revolution for the sake of the environment and it will be sustainable.

BTW – of the hundreds of factory laborers I’ve worked with, none liked their job doing menial labor. Assembling solar cells is a paycheck, but a lousy job. If you care about people, train them to get better skilled jobs than something a drone can do.

So now we’re talking about profit margins again in the solar industry. When will we pick up on the fact that it is our greed that is the problem here, and tackle that?