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A brewing green energy trade war, with mooted U.S. retaliation against Chinese makers of solar panels and wind turbine parts, is high on rhetoric but distracts from a bigger technology race.

Chinese solar companies climbed, driving an index of the nation’s stocks traded in New York to gain the most in a month, as Renewable Energy Corp. ASA said demand for the technology is shifting to Asia and the U.S.

China dramatically increased its renewable energy production capacity in 2011, tripling output in solar power alone, but environmentalists warn an unwavering reliance on coal to fulfill 70 percent of its energy needs is offsetting the benefits of this new clean development, according to The Guardian.

China’s Trina Solar, one of the world’s leading makers of photovoltaic products, will boost its production capacity 26.3% to 2.4 gigawatts annually by the middle of 2012.

Finding the right North American partner is the key to success for East Asian solar companies on this side of the Pacific. A strong business matchup leads to the best utilization of the Chinese or Japanese company’s renewable energy technologies, engineering and operational expertise. An American or Canadian solar company also helps the Asian partner …

Suntech Power Holdings Co., the world’s biggest maker of silicon-based solar panels, expects a revival in demand next year after subsidy reductions becalmed markets and cut prices across Europe.

China Sunergy Co Ltd cut its full-year shipments outlook for the second time in four months and the solar cell and module maker forecast a fourth-quarter loss citing challenges in the global solar market.

A trade mission from the United States is keen to lure investment from China’s energy sector despite the ongoing dispute over the US’ anti-dumping investigation on made-in-China solar products.

Asia Pacific economies Sunday agreed to cut tariffs on “green” products and to pursue a range of other measures aimed at boosting trade, as they warned of increasing uncertainty in the world economy.

China’s largest solar power plant developer has put a planned $500 million U.S. project on hold over an anti-dumping trade dispute, the company’s general manager said on Monday.