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> From 2010 to 2021, the levelized cost of installing utility-scale solar fell 88% .... But in the last couple of years, supply-chain issues have halted these p

> From 2010 to 2021, the levelized cost of installing utility-scale solar fell 88% .... But in the last couple of years, supply-chain issues have halted these price declines globally How many "couple of years" have there been between 2021 and now?

deathanatos 4y ago
I suppose if we're charitable, maybe "From 2010 to 2021" is programmer style [2010, 2021), i.e., ending at 1 Jan 2021. Then all of 2021 & 2022 form "a couple of years". (The book is more or less closed on 2022. Given that my "2 day shipping" from cyber Monday took 8 days, I'm not holding my breath on "the supply chain" fixing itself prior to people giving it up for the holiday retreat.)
kube-system 4y ago
The two time periods you have quoted are not necessarily non-overlapping time periods. Nothing from your quote implies that the couple of years begins at 2021. Falling between two dates does not imply that it fell uniformly or that it fell for every year between those two dates.
Retric 4y ago
At scale there is probably a fair bit of dead time if you want to get 100+MW of solar panels. So, it might be well over 2 years at this point. Aka companies had agreed to deliver in 2020 for X$, but took longer to actually deliver.
QuarterReptile 4y ago
I think "couple" is pretty typically accepted as being "two", at least in most US settings; I can't speak for international variations. In my home area of central Pennsylvania "couple" is a more general, meaning anywhere between 2 and 4, but I think that usage is rather the exception than the rule. Nonetheless, we can probably give them a pass for saying "couple" instead of "nearly three" since January 2020.
- jwilk 4y ago
  https://xkcd.com/1070/ https://xkcd.com/1070/
  - zargon 4y ago
    A rare instance of xkcd being just plain wrong. ;) "a couple" = 2 "a few" = 3 (maaaybe 4) "several" = 4 to 7 "a handful" = context dependent, usually ambiguous
    - quickthrower2 4y ago
      A few: count of 2 to 10% of a sample in my book. There are only a few people who understand quantum mechanics, for example
      - zargon 4y ago
        Yeah I guess that works for me.
- TecoAndJix 4y ago
  Also from central PA: my dad and I had this discussion years ago and he argued the syllables made the count: (1)A (2)Few and (1)A (2)Coup (3)le. I was in the other camp that a couple is two (husband and wife) and a few was much more loose on definition (2-5).
marcosdumay 4y ago
There has been one couple of years since the beginning of 2021 and now. Quite exactly like the text you quoted says.

deathanatos 4y ago

I suppose if we're charitable, maybe "From 2010 to 2021" is programmer style [2010, 2021), i.e., ending at 1 Jan 2021. Then all of 2021 & 2022 form "a couple of years". (The book is more or less closed on 2022. Given that my "2 day shipping" from cyber Monday took 8 days, I'm not holding my breath on "the supply chain" fixing itself prior to people giving it up for the holiday retreat.)

kube-system 4y ago

The two time periods you have quoted are not necessarily non-overlapping time periods. Nothing from your quote implies that the couple of years begins at 2021. Falling between two dates does not imply that it fell uniformly or that it fell for every year between those two dates.

Retric 4y ago

At scale there is probably a fair bit of dead time if you want to get 100+MW of solar panels. So, it might be well over 2 years at this point. Aka companies had agreed to deliver in 2020 for X$, but took longer to actually deliver.

QuarterReptile 4y ago

I think "couple" is pretty typically accepted as being "two", at least in most US settings; I can't speak for international variations. In my home area of central Pennsylvania "couple" is a more general, meaning anywhere between 2 and 4, but I think that usage is rather the exception than the rule. Nonetheless, we can probably give them a pass for saying "couple" instead of "nearly three" since January 2020.

jwilk 4y ago
https://xkcd.com/1070/ https://xkcd.com/1070/
- zargon 4y ago
  A rare instance of xkcd being just plain wrong. ;) "a couple" = 2 "a few" = 3 (maaaybe 4) "several" = 4 to 7 "a handful" = context dependent, usually ambiguous
  - quickthrower2 4y ago
    A few: count of 2 to 10% of a sample in my book. There are only a few people who understand quantum mechanics, for example
    - zargon 4y ago
      Yeah I guess that works for me.
TecoAndJix 4y ago
Also from central PA: my dad and I had this discussion years ago and he argued the syllables made the count: (1)A (2)Few and (1)A (2)Coup (3)le. I was in the other camp that a couple is two (husband and wife) and a few was much more loose on definition (2-5).

marcosdumay 4y ago

There has been one couple of years since the beginning of 2021 and now. Quite exactly like the text you quoted says.