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* After subsidies

• thechao 8y ago
  Obviously. My favorite “subsidy” is the one where carbon combustion energy sources get to make the Earth literally unlivable for my kids & grandkids. I call it the “being alive” subsidy.
• tim333 8y ago
  I don't see a mention of subsidies. Any details?
  • Proven 8y ago
    In all likelihood the project got some federal or other funding, like most of them do. Second, in a way it is subsidized because there's no guarantee they can supply any amount of energy over a given period of time, so traditional energy producers still need to be able to build for 100% of demand, and idle it when there is sun (which in turn makes them lower utilized and seemingly relatively more expensive). Yeah there are some batteries but how much supply these solar boys they guarantee after 3 rainy days? Likely none whatsoever. It is therefore almost almost completely useless but the sleezebags who pulled this off get a multi-decade commitment to get paid for 100% of the paltry amount they manage to generate over a long period of time, although there is no actual justification for it because all power generating capacity still must be built using traditional, reliable energy sources for time when the charlatans can't deliver. What's cheaper, run a power plant at 83% instead of 80%, or run the same power plant at 80% utilization and commit to paying these guys millions more just because?
• imtringued 8y ago
  Does unsubsidized electricity even exist? Germany doesn't shutdown old coal plants although it can replace them with existing gas plants because the coal plants employ more people. Even Trump is supporting coal merely because it helps coal workers.