The difference is that the subsidies for renewables had the purpose of propping up reshaping the power supply system, are time limited (20 years of life time, r

The difference is that the subsidies for renewables had the purpose of propping up reshaping the power supply system, are time limited (20 years of life time, rates are locked in when the system is brought up, rates were falling over time) and decentralized (put up a panel on your roof that's connected to the power grid, you're eligible). In contrast, the coal subsidies propped up a well-established industry with few players, with no end in sight and little oversight (as stated upthread: "No one really knows how much money exactly went in there").