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Ironically widespread availability of solar power could lead to increased pollution. Purely hypothetically, if somehow it became popular for people to generate
by InclinedPlane 14y ago
Ironically widespread availability of solar power could lead to increased pollution. Purely hypothetically, if somehow it became popular for people to generate some, but not all, of the power they need from solar panels then perhaps people would pay less money to the power companies. Power production becomes less profitable and there's less demand for expanding supply. Meaning that the cheapest power production that requires the lowest capital investment will win out. And that's coal.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- dangrossman 14y agoThat used to be coal. Now it's natural gas. The gap has grown large enough in some places that coal plants get converted to run on natural gas. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Coal_plant_conversion_projects http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Coal_plant_conversion_p...
- toomuchtodo 14y agoThis is actually a huge deal. Coal advocates disparage environmentalists about the coal industry going down the tubes, when its really US fracking efforts that are driving down the cost of natural gas.
- tedsanders 14y agoPeaker plants are typically natural gas, not coal. Coal plants are very large, very capital heavy, and cannot be adjusted as finely. (At least in California/USA. I can't comment on other parts of the world.)