PIO! wrote:
I mean "essentially free", as in solar is an order of magnitude cheaper than oil. I have math on my side. The infrastructure cost for solar and oil are basically the same. Once the infrastructure is in place, sunshine is free while oil is expensive.
1) Oil generates an infinitesimal fraction of the electricity in this country. So even starting out by comparing solar/wind (which generate electricity) to oil is ignorant. Solar and wind are more expensive than natural gas fired generation which is the predominant fuel for new power generation.
2) So, no, you do not have the math on your side. Your starting point is ignorance (see 1 above) which is a very bad starting point for any mathematical analysis.[/quote]
You are missing a few important points.
* I'm using "oil" as shorthand for all fossil fuels. We get 63% of our electricity from fossil fuels.
* We get almost 100% of our transportation energy from fossil fuels. When electricity is essentially free, most transportation migrates to electric power, which is happening anyway, but this would speed the transition.
Solar is NOT more expensive than fossil fuels in the long run. The problem is that there is an up front infrastructure cost. But in the long run, solar beats fossil fuels by a country mile. Over 7-10 years, it's cheaper to put solar panels on your roof than to pay the electric company. The same is true for electric transport. Electric cars are already way cheaper in the long run than gas cars, but they require a higher up front cost.
I've done the math, but more importantly, people who study this stuff for a living have done the math. Go look at the studies yourself. It checks out.