Ladd #1

I told my friend Ladd that he should have a blog where he comments on the articles he's reading. He regularly posts to Facebook with great articles and interesting commentary, but didn't seem too interested in going any further than that. So here's an article, his commentary, and my comments.
The article is called "Cheaper Solar in India Prompts Rethink for Coal Projects" from Bloomberg Markets on May 31, 2017

My summary of the article:
In India, the price of producing power by burning coal appears to be going up, and the price of electricity produced by solar panels has come down. As a result, some companies are investing less in traditional coal-fired power plants and looking to expand into solar power. There are some skeptics (the article only lists one by name, with a quote), though, who sound convinced that the price point for solar-produced electricity is artificially low and won't be sustainable over a long period.


Here's what Ladd has to say:Given human nature, it's likely that as long as fossil fuels are cheaper and more convenient than clean energy every last drop of them will be burned. However, if other technologies become the more convenient option the whole climate change angst will disappear overnight.


What is Ladd saying? I think Ladd's point is related to the article in that he thinks that climate change concerns are more likely to be solved by market dynamics and convenience to consumers and businesses than by climate accords, demonizing big business, making people give up things, or electing a more liberal (or environmentally-minded) President of the U.S. 


What do I think?Ladd's probably got this right. He didn't say much though, and I am reading a lot into his actual comment. Here are some things I noticed from the article:

   

1) The graph doesn't break out a difference between wind, solar, or other renewable types of energy. That seems like an issue because it really focuses on solar power expanding, but where are the numbers?

2) Hydroelectric power continues to get the shaft by not being classified as a renewable. I'm biased on this because my dad has worked with hydroelectric plants for about 30 years, but they're great when they're built appropriately. Cadillac Desert demonizes a lot of the dams and hydroelectric plants built in the American West and Midwest, but the real problem with most of those was that the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation were corrupt and they shouldn't have built a lot of those projects. The book is outdated now, but the outrage people feel because of some really bad dams is still with us.