A big front page article
in the Wall Street Journal
had a headline:
“Can Solar Power
Compete With Coal ?
In India, It’s Gaining
Ground.”
The article
falsely implies
solar power
is now
cheaper
than any
fossil fuel
alternatives.
Excerpt:
( A solar array )
"built in 2018 by India’s
Acme Solar Holdings Ltd., . . .
can generate 200 megawatts
of electricity, enough to power
all the homes in a
middle-size U.S. town.
Acme sells
the electricity
to distributors
for 2.44 rupees
( 3.4 cents )
a kilowatt-hour,
a record low
for solar power
in India, a country
that data trackers say
has the world’s
cheapest solar energy.
More remarkable,
the power costs less
to generate in India t
han the cheapest
competing fossil fuel
—coal—
even with subsidies
removed and the
cost of construction and
financing figured in,
according to the
Indian government
and industry trackers."
THE TRUTH:
The solar array
MIGHT be able
to generate close
to 200 megawatts
of electricity
for an hour,
at noon, on a
sunny day,
in June.
Not in the winter.
Not on cloudy days.
Not 24 hours a day
( nights occur
365 times
every year ! )
And costs for
very expensive
battery storage
are not included
in the comparison.
The Wall Street Journal
has lied about solar energy
being cheaper than any
fossil fuel in India.