Coal vs Solar: The $30B Decision No One Is Talking About

About this episode

The episode discusses the financial implications of maintaining coal energy in Saskatchewan versus transitioning to renewable sources like solar and wind.

From teens taking on gas stoves to a massive cost breakdown showing why keeping coal alive in Saskatchewan could be far more expensive than switching to renewables. James runs the numbers and finds the province could spend over $30 billion to keep coal running to 2050—while solar, wind, and storage come in dramatically cheaper (and getting cheaper every year). Add in EV cost reality checks, listener mail, and a stacked Lightning Round. Highlights: Brian brings up the Smell Vancouver app https://smell-vancouver.ca/ Teens in Palo Alto push to ban gas stoves, citing health risks including a 42% higher asthma risk for kids https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/electrification/palo-alto-kids-induction-stoves Even cold climates work: large-scale solar project near the Arctic Circle in Finland https://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/pv_solar/sungrow-supplies-inverters-to-largescale-lapland-solar-20250620 Global shift: renewables made up 85.6% of new energy capacity in 2025 Lightning Round: Google turns to gas for AI data centers OPEC output drops ~25% https://bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-07/opec-output-fell-most-in-decades-last-month-on-war-survey-shows?srnd=phx-markets Tesla…

People in this episode

Hosts: James Whittingham, Brian Stockton

Topics covered

• coal
• solar energy
• renewable energy
• cost analysis
• climate change
• electric vehicles

Keywords

• coal
• solar
• renewables
• cost breakdown
• electric vehicles
• OPEC
• climate change

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: OPEC

Products: Tesla

Places: Saskatchewan, Palo Alto, Finland, Arctic Circle

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