solar power generation cost
How much do different types of power plant construction cost?
How much do different types of power plants construction cost? I read an article about solar power and now that several solar technologies in dollars compared different per watt for construction, but it does not compare with other power generation technologies. How much in dollars per watt to other types of construction cost power plants?
Inflation in the cost of materials like cement, steel and other metals has been running at high levels, and interest rates are a key factor, so it's not an easy question. Construction costs in general have almost doubled since 2000, according to the / IHS CERA index. Since no new nuclear plant has been built in the U.S. for decades, all we can do is calculate. Moody's Investors Service conservative estimate between $ 5000 and $ 6000/kWe for nuclear plants. (link 2) (kWe = kilowatt of electricity, a measure of the generation capacity) Last year, Duke Energy estimated that the cost of a 800MW coal plant in 1.83 billion (link 3). That's about $ 2300/kWe. But compare the wind or solar power generation with coal and nuclear power is difficult. Coal and nuclear plant output can be controlled by operators, while wind and solar power generation is constrained by natural phenomena. Solar is limited to daylight hours and the weather interferes, wind power requires a minimum wind around 7 miles per hour, and wind mills closed in winds over about 30 mph. To a specific place, historical records can be used to estimate the average number of hours the wind or solar energy can be generated.
Solar Power, Wind & Geothermal Cost & R O I Part III of IV
