The Inconvenient Economics of Going Green
Let’s be honest, for years renewable energy was a bit of a charity case. It was the right thing to do, but it was expensive and propped up entirely by subsidies. That picture has changed dramatically. The cost of solar panels, for instance, has fallen off a cliff, dropping by more than 80% in the last decade. Suddenly, in many parts of the world, building a new solar farm is cheaper than keeping an old coal plant running. When something becomes the cheapest option, you no longer need to be an environmentalist to choose it. You just need a calculator.
Of course, governments are still throwing money at the sector. The US Inflation Reduction Act alone is a $370 billion shot in the arm. But I see this less as life support and more as pouring fuel on an already roaring fire. The transition is happening anyway, the incentives just make it happen faster.