3 ms·
I think this is where we are with a lot of clean tech. It's really obvious to everyone that something must be done. It's even fairly simple to derive from first
by leoedin 3y ago
I think this is where we are with a lot of clean tech. It's really obvious to everyone that something must be done. It's even fairly simple to derive from first principles what that something should be - lots of renewables, mainly solar, energy storage, electrification of everything that can be electrified and synthetic fuel for the rest.
But it's not happening? Why? Because the market isn't there. There's simply no way for the changes required to compete with an almost unlimited supply of free energy pouring from the ground. And until clean tech is profitable, it will not be built.
I'd love a few politicians to realise this and start taxing carbon at the moment it leaves the ground. That would truly create a market for clean tech. But of course, that would be political suicide. So they don't.
- zamnos 3y agoAgreed that we need to do more to encourage renewables, but thankfully, the market has already brought the cost of solar down to be competitive with coal, even without adding subsidies to solar and tarrifs on coal. Solar is around $0.02 to $0.08 per kWh, vs $0.03 to $0.05 per kW for coal. The only thing coal has going for it in the face of that is solar's inability to produce when there is no sun.