I was reading an Associated Press article entitled, "Solar Valley." The article has another caption stating, "Car-loving Germans are looking for ways to go green." The article changed some of my mixed perceptions of how energy is looked at in Germany. On one hand, German culture seems very centered around efficiency and order, such as their reliable rail system, which would seem to indicate a desire to avoid waste and processes that are highly polluting. Yet, I have read about coal-fired power plants in Germany and some mixed articles on Germany's use of nuclear power, which seem to suggest a less environmentally-friendly attitude. The Associated Press article seems to fit more with the cleaner, efficient view of Germany. In an area that one might not think of as a likely place for solar panel factories to locate--along the Polish border of Germany--"Solar Valley" is emerging. The article notes that Conergy AG "is opening a $340 million solar panel factory this summer." This factory will employ 650 workers, which may triple within one year--surely a boon for both the German and Polish economies. Other companies, such as First Solar, Solarwatt Solar-Systeme, Q Cells AG and Juwi International, also plan to open solar panel factories in Solar Valley. Customers for the solar panels will be located worldwide.

Hopefully, more nations will join Germany's mission to embrace solar energy and to boost local economies by producing the solar panels so badly needed to make solar energy a real contender in the energy market. Germany took an area with former semiconductor plants and moved it into the alternative energy arena. When are parts of the United States with ailing factories going to move with the times as Germany has? When one industry outsources to another part of the world, Germany shows us that a whole new opportunity may emerge to fill that void.