Import regulations means Chinese equipment that you buy is a bit more expensive. The domestically produced stuff is not cheaper or better or that widely availab

Import regulations means Chinese equipment that you buy is a bit more expensive. The domestically produced stuff is not cheaper or better or that widely available. The rest is just a mix of bureaucracy, regulations, building codes, energy companies frustrating the whole process, etc. An additional factor is latitude. In Australia places like Sydney and Brisbane, are a lot closer to the equator than most of the US. San Diego is about comparable (well slightly closer) with Melbourne in how close it is to the equator. So, they'd be getting a bit more out of their panels even in the middle of their winter. I'm in Germany, most of the country is about ten degrees further north than most of the US. People put solar on their roofs here because it works and there are some incentives. So, it's not that big of a factor. But if you add it all up, the US should be getting its solar a lot cheaper than it currently is.