On: The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 month...

[Pxtl]

> Of course price/KW will drop massively if the entire thing is being propped up by taxpayer dollars and not the actual need to be profitable.

If saving the world was free, the private sector would have done it already. It's not, so it needs to be subsidized.

[aoeusnth1 → Pxtl]

I'm not against subsidizing solar as it is politically expedient, but a more direct and cost-efficient way to help the environment would be to tax carbon emissions and let the market figure out how to save the world.

[KingMob → aoeusnth1]

But the cost of subsidies are spread out across all taxpayers, while carbon taxes mostly affect polluters, who will lobby against it.

I think you're right, but one option is politically easier than the other.