Comment by JumpCrisscross
18 hours ago
> you can't disentangle government from the energy sector
Nobody argued as much. My point is the net effect of social pressure on the energy transformation has been costly—financially and politically—for relatively little bang.
Because the opponents of it have the deepest pockets of literally anybody in the world.
A whole class of parasites who have made their lives as highwaymen on the densest energy source (outside of uranium) -- that literally comes out of the ground -- have spent at least the last 20 years actively suppressing alternatives.
In some places (see Alberta, Canada), they have literally outlawed renewable developments.
In this context political advocacy, education, and subsidy remain absolutely imperative.
There is no "free market" way out of the current situation regardless of how economically viable solar is. In the real world markets and power are intrinsically linked.
It's also actually also an emergency
> Because the opponents of it have the deepest pockets of literally anybody in the world
Yet somehow these opponents have been ham fisted when it comes to opposing the projects which make commercial sense?
> In this context political advocacy, education, and subsidy remain absolutely imperative
Agree. But the bans were counterproductive.
> There is no "free market"
You're the only one in this thread who's brought up free markets.
> It's also actually also an emergency
In a sense. I'd underscore, again, that the breathless activism did approximately nothing–the actual gains came from China pursuing national-security interests and market forces driving the deployment and development of solar, wind and batteries.