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Wind? Solar? Coal and gas are even cheaper to build and run, and the lobby is much stronger. Far more likely they’ll open new coal plants than nuclear, wind, o
by madaxe_again 3y ago
Wind? Solar? Coal and gas are even cheaper to build and run, and the lobby is much stronger.
Far more likely they’ll open new coal plants than nuclear, wind, or solar - nuclear and renewables are anathema at the polling booth, whereas the status quo is a safe bet.
40% of Americans do not believe in climate change, and the 60% that do include a good chunk who are not yet of voting age, and people who are otherwise unable to vote - and on a district by district basis, only about 35% of districts believe in climate change.
So, coal. It’ll be coal.
- hef19898 3y agoThe cheapest forms of electricity, measured in costs per kWh from project auctions (as in: country A wants plant of whatever form, various companies provide their bids and the cheapest offer, per kWh, wins) are solar and wind. Since 2018 at least, that coal comes usually next is simply the fault of dirt cheap, and wastly under priced, CO2 certificates. And regardless of what politians say, when something is a good investment, somebody does it. Hence the continious growth of solar, wind seems to run into way more hurdles, from regulation over NIMBY to technical issues.
- marssaxman 3y ago> Coal and gas are even cheaper to build and run That's not really true anymore: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/levelized-cost-of-energy https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/levelized-cost-of-energy