[ExI] China and solar power

[John Clark]

On Wed, Nov 5, 2025 at 9:42 AM <spike at rainier66.com> wrote:

*>… I say to hell with yesterday's outdated ideology and do whatever is
necessary to beat China to the AI finish line. And that finish line is only
three years away, maybe less. *



> *> If we go that route, our best bet for power expansion is small
> coal-fired plants.*


I asked GPT the following question: "Is coal produce electricity cheaper
than solar or wind produced power?"  And this is what GPT said:

*"In short: Generally, no — coal is not cheaper than solar or wind power
any more, especially for new generation. The key metric to compare is the
levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) — basically the all-in cost (capital +
operation + fuel + maintenance, averaged over lifetime) per megawatt-hour
(MWh).*

*Here’s how recent analyses compare: *

*According to Lazard’s “2024 LCOE+” report:*

   -

   *On-shore wind: US $ 27-73 /MWh (average ~US$50/MWh) globally.*
   -

   *Utility-scale solar PV: US $ 29-92 /MWh (average ~US$61/MWh) globally.*
   -

   *Coal (new build, or generally fossil fuel generation) comes in at US $
   69-168 /MWh in many markets*

*Additional sources:*

   -

   *One guide shows coal at roughly US$68-166/MWh while solar PV is
   US$28-117/MWh, onshore wind US$23-139/MWh*
   -

   *A study found that in the U.S., by ~2025 almost all existing coal
   plants will cost more to operate than new wind & solar in the same region*

*So in many regions, new solar and wind projects are cheaper than building
new coal plants. Also, in many cases, even continuing to run older coal
plants is more expensive than switching to new renewables."*
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