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Comment by rayiner | Hacker News Reader

It's not cheaper when you factor in the batteries, the need for sophisticated electric grids, etc. China and India continue to build huge amounts of coal power. It's not because they're too stupid to buy the cheaper option.

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> Solar panel imports will reduce fuel imports. The savings from avoiding diesel can repay the cost of a solar panel within six months in Nigeria, and even less in other countries. > The solar panels imported into Sierra Leone in the last 12 months, would generate electricity equivalent to 61% of the total reported 2023 electricity generation.

https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-first-evidence-...

A lot of people simply dont have electricity. They don't have grids. Night comes, it's dark. People are buying solar panels to get electricity directly. Now they can recharge lights during the day.

> China and India continue to build huge amounts of coal power.

One factor here is finance: companies make more money building coal plants. Banks loan the money so they can make money. Solar isn't as lucrative. It's the cheapest source of energy.

it is still cheaper. In the past decade, China has gone from their electricity being from 66% coal to under 58% this year, with the amount of wind and solar climbing from <5% to >12% over the same period. Their coal usage has gone up in absolute terms, but at current rates of solar and wind expansion that will reverse itself in the next 5 years with coal plants used increasingly as peaker plants. The only reason China is building coal plants still is that global pv production isn't sufficient to transition all power to it immediately.

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