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- the enactment of carbon taxes
- the enactment of new EPA regulations that will make it unprofitable to retrofit existing coal fired power plants to achieve new EPA 'last decimal point' emissions compliance standards ( i.e. forced retirement )
- the refusal to re-license existing nuclear power plants when their current operating licenses expire ( i.e. more forced retirement )
- the continuation of taxpayer funded solar subsidies ( that will NOT be accounted for when comparing the 'cost' of generating solar power )
- the continuation of cost reduction measures which tranfer the actual production of thin film solar wafers to offshore venues with very low labor, worker safety and environmental compliance costs ( leaving US jobs bolting together prefabricated solar panel assemblies imported from a GE factory in China ).
And while GE's statement may turn out to be correct, that will only be the case because the USA will have taxed the hell out of fossil fuel generation and reduced available supply. An unintended consequence of course will be that the current 7 cent per kWh US electricity cost versus 4 cent per kWh Chinese electricity cost ( from unscrubbed coal fired power plants ) will increase to perhaps a future US electricity cost of 12 cents versus a 5 cent per kWh future Chinese electricity cost ... which in turn will place US manufacturers at an even greater economic disadvantage versus Chinese / foreign competitors. Of course this won't matter to GE since they will be raking huge profits from their Chinese solar cell production !!!





As I said before, the era of cheap labor in China is coming to an end. Not only is the cost of labor in China increasing, so is the cost of electricity.
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-s...20110519000103
If EPA policies cause coal-burning plants to close sooner rather than later, then I see this as a very good thing. It means less poison going into the air. I'll take solar over coal any day.





increasing yes, but by how much ? Most of the cites at your link were talking a fraction of a cent per kWh. Yes that is significant compared to a Chinese power price of 4 cents per kWh. No it is NOT significant relative to American power prices ... which ALREADY contain a 1/2 cent per kWh stealth tax on 'normally' generated electricity to subsidize solar / wind electricity in some states.Not only is the cost of labor in China increasing, so is the cost of electricity.
Perhaps so in the 'back yards' of those Americans living near coal fired power plants. But almost guaranteed NOT to be the case on a global basis. For every coal fired power plant that will be closed in the USA, a new ( and higher emitting ) coal fired power plant will be built in China / Asia to power the former US industries that will be relocating manufacturing operations there to take advantage of the increasing differential in power costs as well as labor costs. Yes China may charge 5 cents for power instead of 4 cents in the same way as it may increase 'minimum' Chinese worker pay rates to $4 from $2. But relative to continued operations in America at 12 cent power costs and $10 'minimum' US worker pay rates ( including mandated benefit costs and employer taxes ) the relative savings will be even greater than it already is today. Thus the 'real world' results of American coal fired power plant closures will be higher US electricity costs, higher US unemployment, and MORE total pollution being generated on a global basis. However, a few Americans' 'back yards' will be cleaner.If EPA policies cause coal-burning plants to close sooner rather than later, then I see this as a very good thing. It means less poison going into the air.
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