Re:Australians blame wind, solar for high power bills as med...
by 0xy on Tuesday August 06, 2024 @03:29AM
(#41168592)
China is opening 40 gigawatts of new coal capacity this year alone. China is a world leader in solar technology, so can do it as cheap as possible. Why open any coal if solar is cheaper?
It is also an objective fact that in most places in the world new solar and wind (this may not be the case for wind anymore due to high interest rates) is cheaper than existing coal.
That’s why coals plants have been shutting down globally.
Now this may not be true specifically for Australia, which is one of the largest coal exporters in the world but your claim of what is and isn’t an objective fact isn’t true.
Finally, all this is simply the dollar amounts that are paid for. What is also an objective fact that energy generation from sources like coal cost the local and global population far more in terms of medical expenses due to pollution and damage due to climate change, costs which are not captured in the cost of coal but instead borne as an externality by everyone.
So no, your objective facts are blatantly wrong.
Edit: Also, if you actually read the article, renewable energy is cheaper than coal in Australia already and the reason for the high costs are due to expensive coal contracts signed a few years ago. Renewables are actually making Australian energy cheaper and coal is making it more expensive.