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And subsidized fossil fuels?

• Someone1234 8y ago
  Good point. They should compare like with like and neither with subsidies otherwise you're just measuring which has the biggest government discount by proxy.
  • chrisseaton 8y ago
    How can you meaningfully separate subsidies from full costs? For example if governments fight wars to keep oil supplies running do we count that as a subsidy? Is diplomacy to keep a gas pipeline open a subsidy? Is building roads to transport fossil fuels a subsidy? What about building national grids to transport renewable electricity? No fuel system on earth operates without infrastructure subsidised by the government.
    • Someone1234 8y ago
      I agree, but entirely ignoring subsidies also won't inform you when renewables have reached the magical point when they become the "obvious" thing to do regardless of global climate change. When they become cheaper than oil/gas without a penny of government discount, then no matter how you slice it renewables have "won." Game over. They will be the future. Environmental benefits, unfortunately, haven't been enough for them to win. The financial battle is really the thing that will tip the scales.
    • ghouse 8y ago
      In the case of the national grid, here in the US with _very_ few exceptions, the price of electricity includes the cost of generation and the transmission grid. These are not socialized through the tax system. The exceptions include the Federal power marketing agencies [1] charged with marketing power from the hydro dams built during the Great Depression. While their initial cost was born by the country, their ongoing operation and maintenance costs are recouped from Transmission Access Charges. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Area_Power_Administration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Area_Power_Administrat...
  • briandear 8y ago
    If we talk subsidies, we also need to talk taxes on fossil fuels as well.