Friedman on solar energy: Invented in U.S., sold abroad

Tom Friedman visited Applied Materials recently and has written a piece in the New York Times hypothesizing why all of its solar panel factories are abroad.  His conclusion:

… their governments have put in place the three prerequisites for growing a renewable energy industry: 1) any business or homeowner can generate solar energy; 2) if they decide to do so, the power utility has to connect them to the grid; and 3) the utility has to buy the power for a predictable period at a price that is a no-brainer good deal for the family or business putting the solar panels on their rooftop.