Comment on China’s ‘artificial sun’ breaks nuclear fusion limit thought to be impossible

• UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

  We’ve had affordable, consumer grade solar since the 90s at least.

  I’d hardly call the 1998 average of $12/W affordable. It was possible, but not practical.

  I don’t think people were questioning the viability of solar in 2016.

  Even in the mid-'10s, solar instillation were something of a luxury and - thanks to the high cost of batteries - only practical for deferring daytime electricity consumption. The root of the Solyndra scandal was Obama pushing a domestic solar manufacturer as an alternative to Chinese solar imports (which were, themselves, far more expensive than they should be thanks to steep US tarriffs imposed in 2014)

  I don’t think anyone was questioning solar viability. But we were still talking about break-even prices on a 5-10 year horizon, heavily predicated on electricity costs outpacing inflation. As a hedge against periodic brownouts or price spikes during a heat wave, it was useful. Now the materials are a third the price and the number of installers has surged to accommodate rising demand. It’s just a much better deal.

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