Quote Originally Posted by Latrinsorm View Post
Total cost to build a power plant isn't the only relevant factor to power cost. You also have to operate the plant, and because sunlight is much much cheaper than coal it is much much cheaper to operate a solar plant. It so happens that in the long run these two factors very nearly balance out. That the cost is front-loaded is why government loans are important for solar power, so people will have enough capital to overcome the higher barrier and get into the sweet, sweet long term profits.
Actually, coal plants operating costs tend to be lower then Solar. It's the fuel that lets Solar catch up in 20 years or so. The problem is at that point, the solar panels tend to need to be replaced. So there is another large jump in costs. Now... what company is going to be ok with not making a profit for 20 years? And why should I give that company money, not knowing if I will ever get it back, so I can buy their product?

This is why I hate ALL subsidies. We may not see some, but could you imagine if when you went to a GM dealership, they asked you for a 1,000 $ check. Then told you to come back in 3 months and buy a car for full price? You would ask them what the 1,000 was for, and they would say.. "So we can afford to build your car, duh". You would ask, "then why don't I get 1,000 off the price of the car?" ... "We have to make a profit" they would respond.