Amid the hot air, verbiage and, largely, irrelevant figures on coal-fired power generation quoted by your correspondents Martin and Cardwell (TCW 11/3), two salient figures were conspicuously absent.First, after taking into account the costs of exploration, extraction, transport, leases, royalties, construction, running costs, wages and maintenance, coal-fired power generation has an efficiency rating of between one, and one point five per cent. By contrast, solar generated power, even in its current fledgling stage and irrespective of varying government subsidies, has an efficiency rating of fifteen per cent. The term “no- brainer” springs to mind.
Jeremy Cornford
Kingscliff
