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Also we shouldn't forget we're talking about Vietnam. A country that is expected to follow slower (because it's not technologically advanced like some European

by akuji1993 8y ago

Also we shouldn't forget we're talking about Vietnam. A country that is expected to follow slower (because it's not technologically advanced like some European countries or North America). Them having any kind of goal is a good sign, even though it might not be very ambitious in our understanding. Goals can be adjusted.

adrianN 8y ago
Actually I'd expect developing nations to be the first in adopting a clean energy grid. They have massively rising demand, so they're building new power plants all the time and don't have vested interests trying to milk every penny out of old coal plants. They also benefit from technological advances that countries with aging power infrastructure can't take advantage of. It's not like they're forced to re-live the industrial revolution like it happened in Europe. It's perfectly possible to leapfrog to carbon neutral solutions.
- akuji1993 8y ago
  You're absolutely correct, I didn't really think about that.
- jabl 8y ago
  Developing nations are generally poor compared to developed countries (duh). So they might not be able to afford energy sources with high upfront costs like nuclear, solar, or wind. If you ignore externalities, coal is likely the cheapest, unfortunately. This is exactly what DIDN'T happen with, say, telecom networks. Developing countries skipped directly to mobile telecom, allowing them to save a lot of money by avoiding the upfront cost of building a wired telecom infrastructure.
  - adventured 8y ago
    I agree with you that poorer developing nations will want to generally avoid high upfront costs to new energy (if they can). Doesn't building new coal plants present high upfront cost just the same?
    - greglindahl 8y ago
      Yes. A modern, efficient coal power plant has to be large and takes a while to build. Solar and wind can be built incrementally.
  - A2017U1 8y ago
    The upfront costs of wind or solar are about the same as building a coal or gas turbine power plant and have far less ongoing costs. Really not sure why people parrot these falsehoods that are easily proven wrong. https://www.eia.gov/electricity/generatorcosts/#total1 https://www.eia.gov/electricity/generatorcosts/#total1
- beat 8y ago
  This could be kind of like how a lot of developing countries have excellent cellular phone networks, having mostly skipped the expensive commitment to wire.
- corerius 8y ago
  That's an interesting point. It's rather like the leapfrog to cellphones without intermediate steps. No matter what tech is used, it'll be obsolete at some point.

adrianN 8y ago

Actually I'd expect developing nations to be the first in adopting a clean energy grid. They have massively rising demand, so they're building new power plants all the time and don't have vested interests trying to milk every penny out of old coal plants. They also benefit from technological advances that countries with aging power infrastructure can't take advantage of. It's not like they're forced to re-live the industrial revolution like it happened in Europe. It's perfectly possible to leapfrog to carbon neutral solutions.

akuji1993 8y ago
You're absolutely correct, I didn't really think about that.
jabl 8y ago
Developing nations are generally poor compared to developed countries (duh). So they might not be able to afford energy sources with high upfront costs like nuclear, solar, or wind. If you ignore externalities, coal is likely the cheapest, unfortunately. This is exactly what DIDN'T happen with, say, telecom networks. Developing countries skipped directly to mobile telecom, allowing them to save a lot of money by avoiding the upfront cost of building a wired telecom infrastructure.
- adventured 8y ago
  I agree with you that poorer developing nations will want to generally avoid high upfront costs to new energy (if they can). Doesn't building new coal plants present high upfront cost just the same?
  - greglindahl 8y ago
    Yes. A modern, efficient coal power plant has to be large and takes a while to build. Solar and wind can be built incrementally.
- A2017U1 8y ago
  The upfront costs of wind or solar are about the same as building a coal or gas turbine power plant and have far less ongoing costs. Really not sure why people parrot these falsehoods that are easily proven wrong. https://www.eia.gov/electricity/generatorcosts/#total1 https://www.eia.gov/electricity/generatorcosts/#total1
beat 8y ago
This could be kind of like how a lot of developing countries have excellent cellular phone networks, having mostly skipped the expensive commitment to wire.
corerius 8y ago
That's an interesting point. It's rather like the leapfrog to cellphones without intermediate steps. No matter what tech is used, it'll be obsolete at some point.