Quote:
Originally Posted by oil pan 4
If solar and wind power are really cheaper than coal then why did Germany waste all this money on coal power plants?
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I can't specifically answer as I can't read the article in the original post (it is behind a paywall). However, the likely answer is that Germany is replacing base load nuclear plants and coal plants are a good fit for base loads. Wind and solar work better for peak loads.
It is likely more about the type of loads then the cost of generation.
However, the increases in installed capacity for wind and solar FAR exceed the increased capacity for coal plants since 2011.
Since 2011 Germany has added:
Coal: 0.68
Wind: 30.47
Solar: 19.52
https://www.energy-charts.de/power_inst.htm