The solar industry has a slave labor problem and the US is making it worse

Published November 1, 2024 6:00am ET



While Vice President Kamala Harris champions green energy, the current administration’s preferential treatment of companies such as South Korea’s Hanwha QCells, despite ties to slave labor, raises serious questions about the sincerity of additional commitments to human rights.

For many consumers, installing rooftop solar that generates enough surplus power to sell back to the grid for a profit seems like a win-win. Lower power bills, cleaner energy — everybody wins. Well, almost everybody. Unfortunately, many solar panels imported into the United States are the product of slave labor in China. This contradiction underscores a moral crisis in our nation’s green energy strategy — one that compromises human rights in pursuit of environmental goals.

Already a print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account

Trusted reporting.Unlimited access.

Subscribe for full access to Washington Examiner coverage, expert political analysis, and subscriber-only journalism.

Get Unlimited Access

Already a member? Log in

Cancel anytime.