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> Google buying green electricity makes green electricity cheaper, not more expensive. The marginal cost of puchasing more energy might go down (or it might go
by throwawaylinux 5y ago
> Google buying green electricity makes green electricity cheaper, not more expensive.
The marginal cost of puchasing more energy might go down (or it might go up if you are pushing up the demand). But not the total expenditure on energy.
> Prices start collapsing. This is actually happening right now.
Thermal coal prices are at all time record highs right now. It's 4x the price it was a few years ago when we were all hearing about how solar has become cheaper than coal.
It's not that solar generation suddenly became far more expensive for some supernatural reason. It's that demand for electricity outweighs the installed capacity of renewables.
- random314 5y agoHow is the price of thermal coal spiking and solar prices collapsing not a good thing?! Are you sure that if the situation were inverted you wouldn't still be complaining? Damned if you, damned if you don't.
- throwawaylinux 5y agoCoal prices are high because there is a lot of electricity demand not being met by existing renewables. Because everybody bought the green electricity. Which is not only making the green electricity more expensive, it's causing more coal to be burnt to keep up.
- random314 5y agoLike I said before, that's not how economies of scale work in the long run. Following your recommendations will reduce green energy prices in the short run and promote CO2 emissions in the long run. The negative externalities of CO2 are long term and not short term. So your complaints are counter productive.