India has cancelled plans to build nearly 14 gigawatts of coal-fired power stations – about the same as the total amount in the UK – with the price for solar electricity “free falling” to levels once considered impossible.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/india-solar-power-electricity-cancels-coal-fired-power-stations-record-low-a7751916.html
http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2014/03/28/robb-kendrick-life-in-indias-coal-mines/
This is great news for India and the world. As most people know India has some serious smog issues and coal was just the cheapest option for powering society’s needs.
Analyst Tim Buckley said [India not buying coal will have a huge effect on the markets.]
As they were such important customers importing coal from around the world. Even countries that don’t use coal still seem to have no problem selling it to other countries then claiming they do their part fighting global warming.
It has always come down to the money. How much does it cost to create enough electricity to satisfy a growing population, in this case of over a billion peoples? Can you imagine how much electricity it would take to recharge everyone's cell phone once a day.
I expect the smog levels in India will decrease like they did all over North America and the UK when we switched mostly to nuclear power. I know Canada is probably a world leader in hydro electric dams; they’re all over the country, mostly small ones.
So many people are mostly concerned about the lost money in the coal industry fear not. There are other new emerging industries like say, try investing in renewable and sustainable energy industries.
Some of you may know I’m really keen on Bio Fuels for the future made from alga and other organic processes such as methane from composting scrap food and animal waste. It’s one of the cleanest and most sustainable ways to make electricity. It just isn’t always cheap enough to mass produce.
I don’t really like solar power anymore. It’s certainly works and it keeps getting more efficient. The reason I don’t like solar power is that making the panels is incredibly dirty. From sourcing the materials with slave labour to the factories pumping out smog and hazardous waste putting them together. Transporting the material around the world several times before it’s even installed is not really maximizing the green spirit people think they are getting. Well that’s for another post.
https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2012/03/solar-power-the-unexpected-side-effect/
So, let’s see how much they will be spending now.
”In January last year, Finnish company Fortum agreed to generate electricity in Rajasthan with a record low tariff, or guaranteed price, of 4.34 rupees per kilowatt-hour (about 5p).”
If the price is right why not? Even China has cancelled dozens of coal fired power plant projects to opt for nuclear power. Dalian just had a huge nuclear power plant completed last year in conjunction with an American company. And it really makes a difference in the summer. In the winter they have coal fired water heating for all residents its brutal some days. Now I get to enjoy blue skies in the summer at least.
Other sources and images
http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2017/05/india-cancels-plans-for-14-gw-of-coal-due-to-cheap-solar.html