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The comparison is between the cost of new installations - coal power is very cheap because the facilities are old and the capital expenses were sunk a long time
by Kliment 11y ago
The comparison is between the cost of new installations - coal power is very cheap because the facilities are old and the capital expenses were sunk a long time ago. New solar power is now cheaper to build out than new coal plants, which is reasonable enough given the cost of both raw materials and production processes for solar had plummeted over the last decade whereas coal is a very mature technology that is effectively at the end of its efficiency curve (and getting worse over time as the cost of extraction grows).
- downandout 11y ago>The comparison is between the cost of new installations That may be, but that isn't what the headline says. It simply says that solar is cheaper than coal, which of course is not the case right now.
- Osiris30 11y agoYes, all solar installations are not cheaper than all coal installations. But conversely, all coal is not cheaper than all solar! That applies globally and in India. The point is that solar costs are declining every year, by 10% p.a. In many sunny places it is already at parity or below (eg Arizona, Mexico, Rajasthan and Gujarat in India, Mexico). We have already seen several bids this year at US¢ 3/Kwh ($30/MWh). $20/MWh is in sight - that would be well under the cheapest coal. This link is useful summary http://cleantechnica.com/2016/04/15/why-energy-experts-are-still-shocked-by-the-rise-of-solar-the-fall-in-costs/ http://cleantechnica.com/2016/04/15/why-energy-experts-are-s... (And none of this accounts for the massive unpriced carbon + health externality of coal plants). Coal is staying at best flat + whatever the fuel cost.
- parimm 11y ago> US¢ 3/Kwh ($30/MWh). $30/MWh seems to be very very cheap. That is half the price of the lowest bid in India. Is there a source for that number?
- Osiris30 11y agoDubai Nov 2014 - $58.40 per MWHr. See [1] Austin July 2015 - $57.10 per MWh. See [2] Nevada July 2015 - $38.7 per MWh. See [3] Mexico April 2016 - $35.44 per MWh. See [4] [1] http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/29/dubai-shatters-solar-tariff-records-worldwide-lowest-ever/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/29/dubai-shatters-solar-tar... [2] http://cleantechnica.com/2015/07/02/worlds-cheapest-solar-power-lands-in-austin-texas-under-4%C2%A2kwh-sort-of/ http://cleantechnica.com/2015/07/02/worlds-cheapest-solar-po... [3] http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/buffett-strikes-cheapest-electricity-price-in-us-with-nevada-solar-farm_100020120/#axzz46HDeOcQs http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/buffett-stri... [4] http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Solar-Stuns-in-Mexicos-First-Clean-Energy-Auction-1860-MW-Won-at-50.7-P http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Solar-Stuns-in-M...
- TheCoelacanth 11y agoSure, but you can't build an old coal plant. You can only build a new one.
- __jal 11y agoShort Headlines Omit Details, Experts Say Seven Words Found Insufficient for Expressing Nuance Headlines "Easy Targets" for Quibbling