We didn't just turn it over, it was there for the taking.
Just like clothing and the bulk of semiconductors, they are now mass produced using automation and very cheap labor. China also has a heavy hand in controlling access to some of the basic raw materials. Therefore, it's almost impossible for us to compete. Even if we had more highly automated plants here making solar panels, there would be very little labor involved.
The Chinese have used capital gained from us via decades of trillions of sales dollars of commodity goods at Walmart/Target/Amazon, etc. to invest in basic resources (copper, iron, etc.) and automation to further push the US standard of living and job security down, and unemployment upward. They also invest heavily in research and development.
So, we fund them and they screw us. Welcome to our race to the bottom. 
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