I am tired of teasing myself each time I hear about an alternative energy source. The energy that the masses use is the one that is cheapest. So to keep track of what is close to reality I am hoping the greater community will track and update energy unit costs of various energy sources. Please fill in if you have good information. Feel free to modify or make suggestions. Energy source Unit cost per Megawatt (gigawatt or other) Notes Comment/other Coal Oil Natural gas Wind Solar Geothermal Solar tower Biofuel Nuclear Ocean tides Other
It depends on many of these. For example, Wyoming coal is cheaper there than in the places that import the coal which, of course, changes the cost.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TimBikes @ Feb 14 2007, 12:19 AM) [snapback]390066[/snapback]</div> and efficiency too!
I'd like to reinforce conservation and negawatts and negaLiters. Energy retained and not used is always cheaper. Efficiency tops the cost-effective list, no matter what the energy source. Thinking long-term, renewables will increasingly be "cheaper" and more cost effective. As Rocky Mountain Institute (http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid408.php) reminds us, sustainable least cost transportation requires focusing on people and communities, not individual cars.
According to the Geothermal Energy Assc. the cost for geothermal is 5.5 to 7.5 cents per kilowatt hour. Here's the reference
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Feb 14 2007, 11:50 AM) [snapback]390202[/snapback]</div> Well then fossil fuels ultimately are the least efficient. After all, you are merely tapping solar energy in the most circuitous manner possible. This leads me to a question. Where does wind energy ultimately come from? I'm assuming that's also solar 2nd to the heating of bodies of water and land with subsequent movement of air from the pressure differentials created by the temperature differentials. Anyone have a better explanation?
