Renewables are Now Cheaper than Nuclear - Next Stop: Coal

SVOboy · 01-06-09, 08:36 AM

For a while now people have been saying that renewables would pass the economic litmus test when they became cheaper than coal, particularly when photovoltaics became cheaper than coal. That hasn’t happened yet, but with renewable energy prices dropping and the costs of safely managing nuclear plants rising, renewable energy has become cheaper, on average, [...]Post from: EcoRenovator.org

Renewables are Now Cheaper than Nuclear - Next Stop: Coal

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Daox · 01-06-09, 09:00 AM

I didn't read the source or the report yet. I just wonder what the general accepted cost per kWh is for wind, biogas, water, etc.

oil pan 4 · 03-28-21, 07:34 PM

I know this is one old post but it's nice to update old posts, you know so you can see how things played out.

This happened after new mexicos out of cycle "blue wave".
https://www.heartland.org/news-opini...energy-mandate

Now PNM is approved for a 7% rate increase. They wanted 14.4% and they are still going to fight for it. And here it is straight from the horses mouth pnm dot com.
https://www.pnm.com/0115-ew-rate-increase-request

Yeah so it looks like renewable aren't always cheaper. Yes hydro electric geothermal always wins. It appears the first 15% to 20% of wind power capacity makes your power cheaper especially when you get a large share of your power from coal and natural gas, but anything more than 25% wind power appears to always be a liability. And generally solar is always more expensive, it's only cheaper like wind with in a certain set of parameters. If your load always peaks during the day, all 12 months a year, then yeah solar is the answer, above 10% it's definitely a liability. In a California I believe they call it the "swan curve" phenomenon. Where demand for the day picks up before the sun is up then all the south facing grid tied arrays roar to life as the sun comes up causing generation demand to dive.

NiHaoMike · 03-31-21, 12:11 AM

Perhaps more investment in automated load management is the answer? The technology to make it happen (for example, Raspberry Pi or ESP32) is dirt cheap. Likewise, thermal storage for HVAC is also dirt cheap. What's missing is the software and standardization to tie it together and that's something the open source community can work on!

jeff5may · 04-10-21, 08:10 PM

Solar thermal and PV is a good investment for us "small guys": individual and single family home dwellers. Nearly as good for retail store rooftops. Return on investment is usually pretty short (under 5 years) if you don't have a battery bank (or huge thermal store). With the modular and microinverter setups out now, you don't have to go "all in" like systems of the past. A modest system can be expanded upon over time without having to reinvent the wheel every phase.

01-06-09, 08:36 AM	#1
SVOboy Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 291 Thanks: 3 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	Renewables are Now Cheaper than Nuclear - Next Stop: Coal For a while now people have been saying that renewables would pass the economic litmus test when they became cheaper than coal, particularly when photovoltaics became cheaper than coal. That hasn’t happened yet, but with renewable energy prices dropping and the costs of safely managing nuclear plants rising, renewable energy has become cheaper, on average, [...]Post from: EcoRenovator.org Renewables are Now Cheaper than Nuclear - Next Stop: Coal More...

01-06-09, 09:00 AM	#2
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,475 Thanks: 1,112 Thanked 369 Times in 300 Posts	I didn't read the source or the report yet. I just wonder what the general accepted cost per kWh is for wind, biogas, water, etc. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

03-31-21, 12:11 AM	#4
NiHaoMike Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,130 Thanks: 15 Thanked 248 Times in 234 Posts	Perhaps more investment in automated load management is the answer? The technology to make it happen (for example, Raspberry Pi or ESP32) is dirt cheap. Likewise, thermal storage for HVAC is also dirt cheap. What's missing is the software and standardization to tie it together and that's something the open source community can work on! __________________ To my surprise, shortly after Naomi Wu gave me a bit of fame for making good use of solar power, Allie Moore got really jealous of her...

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03-28-21, 07:34 PM	#3
oil pan 4 Land owner Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: NM Posts: 1,010 Thanks: 12 Thanked 126 Times in 106 Posts	I know this is one old post but it's nice to update old posts, you know so you can see how things played out. This happened after new mexicos out of cycle "blue wave". https://www.heartland.org/news-opini...energy-mandate Now PNM is approved for a 7% rate increase. They wanted 14.4% and they are still going to fight for it. And here it is straight from the horses mouth pnm dot com. https://www.pnm.com/0115-ew-rate-increase-request Yeah so it looks like renewable aren't always cheaper. Yes hydro electric geothermal always wins. It appears the first 15% to 20% of wind power capacity makes your power cheaper especially when you get a large share of your power from coal and natural gas, but anything more than 25% wind power appears to always be a liability. And generally solar is always more expensive, it's only cheaper like wind with in a certain set of parameters. If your load always peaks during the day, all 12 months a year, then yeah solar is the answer, above 10% it's definitely a liability. In a California I believe they call it the "swan curve" phenomenon. Where demand for the day picks up before the sun is up then all the south facing grid tied arrays roar to life as the sun comes up causing generation demand to dive.

04-10-21, 08:10 PM	#5
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,394 Thanks: 410 Thanked 604 Times in 506 Posts	Solar thermal and PV is a good investment for us "small guys": individual and single family home dwellers. Nearly as good for retail store rooftops. Return on investment is usually pretty short (under 5 years) if you don't have a battery bank (or huge thermal store). With the modular and microinverter setups out now, you don't have to go "all in" like systems of the past. A modest system can be expanded upon over time without having to reinvent the wheel every phase.