Zim : Are renewables ever going to be cheaper
than coal? Personally, I don't think so - at
least not until coal starts running short.
But, here is an article with a different view.
http://www.wealthdaily.com/articles/grid+parity-renewables-coal/1013
(Zim: I pulled this out of the middle of the article.)
A coal plant emits about 17 tons of carbon per megawatt of nameplate capacity per day. A 500 MW coal plant, operating 75% of the time, will produce 3.28 trillion kWh of electricity along with 3.1 million tons of CO2 emissions every year.
At a price of $25/ton, the cost of emissions climbs to over $77 million total or about $0.023 per kWh.
And while two cents may not sound like much, we haven't factored in the effect of coal subsidies—which are still huge—or the cost of air pollution and related illnesses.
The price of renewable energy never includes subsidies and it doesn't cause air pollution or illnesses.
>>>
Zim:
Note, that they are 'factoring' in a 'carbon
emmissions tax' . . . and the claim that there
are no 'renewable energy subsidies' I find
impossible to believe.
(Wasn't it tax breaks - subsidies - on wind
mill generators which made the industry?)
Now, I do believe we should be installing solar
panels on schools and grocery store roofs - with
the goal of helping to meet peak demand. This
should be cost competitive. (And the bonus of watts
at off peak times should be helpful.)
Zim.
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