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I'd like to see the Cop26 president go to rural EM's and personally tell the people, where few to none (state run) corps are really looking to build out any inf

I'd like to see the Cop26 president go to rural EM's and personally tell the people, where few to none (state run) corps are really looking to build out any infra for anything, green or not, that they cant use things like coal… Might as well write the eulogy now…

pavlov 5y ago
Why the assumption that coal is always the cheapest and most easily available? Modern solar is so affordable, it's probably a much more realistic option for those rural areas.
- NikolaeVarius 5y ago
  Because I can personally buy several kilos of coal for cheap and burn it to produce heat without requiring anything but a pile of it and a ignition source. It can be the middle of the night in a blizzard and I can keep warm without anything special required. Are you really so sheltered to not be able to conceptualize this?
- rPlayer6554 5y ago
  Sure, it's possible that the cost on paper of solar is cheaper. But what about the infrastructure? For instance many people I'm sure live in extremely basic homes that aren't setup to be heated using solar. That alone would cost massive amounts of money they don't have.
- adtac 5y ago
  Is that without subsidies? Because subsidies are just make believe money to push people in some direction, the money for the infrastructure still has to come from somewhere.
- cinquemb 5y ago
  So people who make less than ~$2/day are supposed to now save up (and spend less on food/water/etc) for these "so affordable" panels? And even if they could, how are you going to get those panels (or parts replacements for these "so affordable" systems when they will degrade and break down) to these places that have bad or no roads at scale and struggle to get __anything__ to their regions? And completely eschew local mines and resources that are easier to access with less (upfront) capital? Nuts. I worked remotely for a nigerian fintech that had to do intergrations between the big banks in western africa (and crypto markets) and farmers trying to sell their crops and they pretty much had to get access to capital (which is hard for most people not already intimately connected to wealth/power) to fund __infrastructure__, even before doing anything else (market places local producers/traders getting access global commodity markets via crypto). Even the big banks in nigeria don't even want to fund infrastructure stuff… Same is true for many places i've visited within Indonesia (been living thru ME to east asia since 2016), its crazy to see local news about new airport being built in an area with pretty much nothing there for most people who are quick to overlook these types of things because they take it for granted in their everyday life.
- mayama 5y ago
  Solar is only cheap when sun is shining bright. Just batteries needed for cloudy days or nights is multiple times more expensive than burning coal. solar+storage might become cheaper than coal by the end of this decade.
- celloductor 5y ago
  it's not just upfront cost, but the practical costs of using coal is much lower than having to set up a solar infrastructure.
- dredmorbius 5y ago
  Coal is cheap, available when needed, requires minimal capital (a mud or brick stove), and is used not just for thermal power generation but industrial use (steel production) and direct thermal heat. In areas with minimal infrastructure, all these are compelling advantages. There's that long-term downside of destroying the planet. If your planning horizon is next year, or next month, or next week, that might not be a major consideration. Those who do have a long-term planning horizon must take into consideration those who do not.
- throwoutway 5y ago
  The initial cost of installing panels are not cheap, when compared to the continued use of existing coal plants
Jansen312 5y ago
Cop26 people live in high castle. Poor people is an ugly sight to them. To them poor people should be driving Tesla and eat from wholefood. If they can't is because they are lazy.
- cinquemb 5y ago
  Castles of glass and convinced they are made from stone…

pavlov 5y ago

Why the assumption that coal is always the cheapest and most easily available? Modern solar is so affordable, it's probably a much more realistic option for those rural areas.

NikolaeVarius 5y ago
Because I can personally buy several kilos of coal for cheap and burn it to produce heat without requiring anything but a pile of it and a ignition source. It can be the middle of the night in a blizzard and I can keep warm without anything special required. Are you really so sheltered to not be able to conceptualize this?
rPlayer6554 5y ago
Sure, it's possible that the cost on paper of solar is cheaper. But what about the infrastructure? For instance many people I'm sure live in extremely basic homes that aren't setup to be heated using solar. That alone would cost massive amounts of money they don't have.
adtac 5y ago
Is that without subsidies? Because subsidies are just make believe money to push people in some direction, the money for the infrastructure still has to come from somewhere.
cinquemb 5y ago
So people who make less than ~$2/day are supposed to now save up (and spend less on food/water/etc) for these "so affordable" panels? And even if they could, how are you going to get those panels (or parts replacements for these "so affordable" systems when they will degrade and break down) to these places that have bad or no roads at scale and struggle to get __anything__ to their regions? And completely eschew local mines and resources that are easier to access with less (upfront) capital? Nuts. I worked remotely for a nigerian fintech that had to do intergrations between the big banks in western africa (and crypto markets) and farmers trying to sell their crops and they pretty much had to get access to capital (which is hard for most people not already intimately connected to wealth/power) to fund __infrastructure__, even before doing anything else (market places local producers/traders getting access global commodity markets via crypto). Even the big banks in nigeria don't even want to fund infrastructure stuff… Same is true for many places i've visited within Indonesia (been living thru ME to east asia since 2016), its crazy to see local news about new airport being built in an area with pretty much nothing there for most people who are quick to overlook these types of things because they take it for granted in their everyday life.
mayama 5y ago
Solar is only cheap when sun is shining bright. Just batteries needed for cloudy days or nights is multiple times more expensive than burning coal. solar+storage might become cheaper than coal by the end of this decade.
celloductor 5y ago
it's not just upfront cost, but the practical costs of using coal is much lower than having to set up a solar infrastructure.
dredmorbius 5y ago
Coal is cheap, available when needed, requires minimal capital (a mud or brick stove), and is used not just for thermal power generation but industrial use (steel production) and direct thermal heat. In areas with minimal infrastructure, all these are compelling advantages. There's that long-term downside of destroying the planet. If your planning horizon is next year, or next month, or next week, that might not be a major consideration. Those who do have a long-term planning horizon must take into consideration those who do not.
throwoutway 5y ago
The initial cost of installing panels are not cheap, when compared to the continued use of existing coal plants

Jansen312 5y ago

Cop26 people live in high castle. Poor people is an ugly sight to them. To them poor people should be driving Tesla and eat from wholefood. If they can't is because they are lazy.

cinquemb 5y ago
Castles of glass and convinced they are made from stone…