Graph of the Day
January 18, 2011
Cost of Energy and Cumulative Domestic Capacity
Take just a moment to let this one sink in.
From DOE
with Peter Sinclair
Take just a moment to let this one sink in.
From DOE
"The sharpest climate denier debunker on YouTube."
- TreeHugger
"@PeterWSinclair is a national treasure." - Brad Johnson, Publisher Hill Heat
January 18, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Presumably next question is….how much of the capacity is available when, and on average?
January 18, 2011 at 5:46 pm
the newer sites are averaging between 35 and 45 percent.
see
page 27
overall, cost per kwh is now cheaper than new coal – way cheaper than new nuclear.
January 18, 2011 at 8:10 pm
> …how much of the capacity is available when, and on average?
All of the capacity is available all of the time – or close enough because the reliability and up-time of wind turbines is near-100%.
If you mean, “what is the capacity factor of wind turbines”, that depends on the site. One wind farm in Scotland has hit 58% over the course of a year – but most wind farms are in the range 25 – 45% and newer, larger, more advanced turbines are constantly pushing that up.
January 18, 2011 at 9:16 pm
Thank you both. Personally, I am more of a fan of high-altitude wind power (eg Kitegen) as less invasive and more reliable. Let’s see how it pans out.