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If what you're saying is correct, if subsidies were removed across the board taxes would go down, energy costs would go up and solar would take off and replace coal because it would be the (real) best deal.


What do you think why German electricity companies are trying to sell their gas and coal business and focus on renewables as much as possible?

In Germany, the effect is even stronger: As we are taxed per kWh, the electricity is quite expensive. On the other hand, this money is then spent on subsidies for solar and wind. Overall making solar and wind so extremely cost effective that anything else becomes stupid.

And, at the same time, it leads to people saving really a lot of energy. A family of 4 using 3000kWh per year or less is common.


Even fairly conservative estimates of the negative externalities of coal do in fact indicate this for daytime loads.




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