[tekno45]

Isn't new renewable power cheaper than new C02 power?

[garettmd]

From what I understand, it is cheaper. However, that's just with new power. Most of the power available now is from existing installations, making existing fossil fuel power cheaper than any new installations.

[marcusverus]

I've yet to hear about renewables that put out consistent power cheaper than gas.

You'll see the occasional article about new solar that's claimed to be cheaper than gas, but they never have sufficient storage to actually stand on their own two feet.

The last one that was posted here on HN was claimed to be cheaper than gas, but it only had enough storage to output 1/2 of its daytime production overnight. In other words, it was cheaper than gas... as long as you've got redundant gas plants to provide power overnight.

Always read the fine print when folks are pitching "cheap renewables".

[Taniwha]

The Hall–Héroult process (electrolysis of alumina to make aluminium) uses a sacrificial carbon anode - every 2 atoms of Al you produce results in 3 CO2 molecules - so for every kg of Al you make ~2.4 kg of CO2