Why Investors Have Learned to Love Wind and Solar Power

wsj.com

8 points·spenrose··4 comments

"After a stormy, dependent youth, the wind-and-solar-energy industries have matured into boring, profitable middle age. This year’s plunging interest rates make that a more appealing proposition than ever for investors. Wind turbines and solar panels, which once proliferated thanks to government handouts, now produce energy more cheaply than coal and natural gas."

Seems like the biggest win came from "Chinese manufacturers sell solar panels at a fifth of the price a decade ago.", everything else is just a corollary.

I read an article that I can't vouch for mush less dredge up from the murky depths of the internet. But it went like this.

Chinese government circa 2000. So how much would it cost to prove solar technology at scale? Chinese industry.. umm.. err... $10 billion. Chinese government. LOL! Is that all? Haha here's $10 billion.

Chinese industry circa 2005. Um... we spent $10 billion and have proven will scale. Chinese government, so how much to scale? Industry $100 billion. Chinese government. LOL is that all? Here have $100 Billion.

Meanwhile people in the US are still butthurt about losing $500 million on Solyndra.

because the Government forces the public to buy it, subsidise its production, invest in its distribution infrastructure, without any requirement to deliver 24/7.

Wouldn't it be great if all businesses could do that.

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