Unsubsidized Comparative Cost Of Renewable Energy

Cost of Renewable Energy measured in Unsubsidized /MWh:

Wind power:

"THE UNSUBSIDIZED COST OF A TYPICAL NEW WIND POWER PROJECT RANGES FROM ABOUT 60-90 PER MWH (for "Class 3" and above wind sites), making wind energy competitive with gasfired generation only in the best of wind regimes with ready access to existing transmission capacity. Very few of these ideal sites remain available for development."Solar PV installations:

"THE UNSUBSIDIZED LEVELIZED COST OF ELECTRICITY FROM TYPICAL UTILITY SCALE SOLAR PV INSTALLATIONS FELL BETWEEN 111 AND 181 PER MWH in late 2011, a broad range that captures wide discrepancies in regional solar resources.DESPITE SIGNIFICANT DECLINES IN SOLAR COSTS IN RECENT YEARS, HOWEVER, SOLAR PV PROJECTS STILL HAVE DIFFICULTY COMPETING IN WHOLESALE POWER MARKETS WITH NEW GAS-FIRED GENERATION WITH OUT SUBSIDY OR POLICY SUPPORT, EXCEPT PERHAPS IN REGIONS WITH THE HIGHEST SOLAR RESOURCE. WITH THE RIGHT INNOVATION AND MARKET SUPPLY/DEMAND CONDITIONS, UNSUBSIDIZED UTILITY SCALE SOLAR PV COSTS MAY DECLINE INTO THE 90-150 PER MWH range by 2014 and the 40-66 PER MWH range by 2020. These forecasts show solar achieving wide cost parity with natural gas generation within the decade."

Residential Solar:

"Solar power projects on residential, commercial, and industrial rooftops compete less directly with wholesale prices for gas-fired generation. Instead, these "behind-the-meter" installations must reach a price that is competitive with the higher retail electricity rates offered by utilities, a point often referred to as "grid parity." After significant recent cost reductions, the unsubsidized cost of electricity from solar installations on residential rooftops dropped to a range of 178 to 345 per MWh in late 2011, although higher prices are possible for projects with poor capacity factors. These prices are now at or near cost parity with retail electricity rates in certain US markets (160-281 per MWh)"

Nuclear power:

"THE US ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION (EIA) ESTIMATES THE LEVELIZED COST OF ELECTRICITY FROM NEW NUCLEAR PLANTS AT AROUND 114 PER MWH for reactors entering construction now and becoming operational in the 2016-2020 time period. Given the overall uncertainty about construction costs for new reactors, this estimate should be considered tentative... at these projected costs, new nuclear power plants will remain uncompetitive with new gas-fired combined cycle power plants at likely gas prices." Read the whole report: Beyond Boom and Bust (PDF).