People talk a lot about a lot of things when it comes to energy production, but in terms of what actually happens the largest factor is $/MW in terms of new cap

People talk a lot about a lot of things when it comes to energy production, but in terms of what actually happens the largest factor is $/MW in terms of new capacity in the expected timeframe. That economic force dominates all. As a provider I (they) want x GW of new capacity, and will chose whatever costs the lowest amount to get that capacity. Solar is getting so cheap now that overbuilding is an entirely viable option. This is why renewables are getting built over new coal plants, the environmental benefits are just a marketing bonus. As Engineers/scientists our job is to innovate and get the costs of the "correct" decision low enough that the economic forces take over and steer humanity towards the best outcome.