Re:In a first, wind and solar generated more power than gas ...
by eldaisfish on Thursday June 04, 2026 @03:54PM
(#48403775)
How do you explain the fact that the average residential electricity price is higher in Australia than in most of the US?
This is not as simple as people here make it out to be.
Consider also that solar is profitable today because it does not set the price of electricity in most markets. In a world where solar dominates, the prices of electricity could be negative. The economics of negative electricity prices becoming the norm are not yet fully understood.
Re:In a first, wind and solar generated more power than gas ...
by BobaFloutist on Thursday June 04, 2026 @04:08PM
(#48403948)
> How do you explain the fact that the average residential electricity price is higher in Australia than in most of the US?
Transmission costs.
Re:In a first, wind and solar generated more power than gas ...
by tencentshill on Thursday June 04, 2026 @04:38PM
(#48404301)
They paid to decommission fossils early, and amortized it over the future. So it's going to drop like a rock once those debts are paid and the last plants shut down, with fewer remaining customers and lighter load on the grid. But until then, consumers will be paying higher bills.
Similar to the UK - See item 18. https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/141240/html...
Re:In a first, wind and solar generated more power than gas ...
by eldaisfish on Thursday June 04, 2026 @04:44PM
(#48404389)
That is not what your link says?
Re:In a first, wind and solar generated more power than gas ...
by teamonkey on Thursday June 04, 2026 @05:11PM
(#48404694)
Perhaps they did not mean point 18, but I found it interesting anyway.
The existing gas infrastructure represents a large amount of taxpayer investment, not due to be paid off until 2070. But it’s estimated that there won’t be any users of that infrastructure beyond 2050.
People wouldn't be rushing to shift entire markets at the observed rates if the economics were upside down. It is the soundness of the economic model that is driving the adoption even against tariffs and subversion by the current US regime.