On 18/07/18 20:16, Mark Skinner wrote:
> At the risk of getting a spanking for going off topic, the problem with

> coal power is not politics, so much as bankers. Coal plants need 40-50

> year depreciation to be economically viable.


And nuclear plants even longer - longer than it's probably engineeringly
possible to run em. (And they are even more eye wateringly expensive
than a coal plant to decommission at end of life.)

Base load power needs long term thinking and private industry's funding
models are not usually based on long term thinking. Long term for a
banker is 10 years.
Unfortunately our governments are now longer capable of long term
thinking either, governments being full of ex bankers or wanabe bankers.
(or advisers who are bankers).

I work in Higher Ed where we are often told we should be 'more like
industry'. Yea, right. A significant portion of my salary comes from
industry funded research from companies that at least have the awareness
they can't innovate due to short term thinking driven by their
shareholders/financiers. So they outsource their 'innovation'.

Making my industry more like 'Industry' would be killing the golden
goose. Get get money from (at least some of the more aware sectors)
because WE can 'think different'.