Average cost of wind power generation

How much does wind energy cost?

Other sources recently noted that the LCOE generated from wind is now below USD 0.068/kWh (€0.050/kWh) for most of the projects in high resource areas (United States , Brazil, Sweden, Mexico) (Cleantechnica, 2011). This compares to current estimated average costs of USD 0.067/kWh for coal-fired power and USD 0.056/ kWh for gas-fired power.

What if Americans realized the cost of generating energy from wind?

But if Americans realized the full cost of generating energy from wind power, they would be less willing to foot the bill – because it’s more than most people think. Over the past 35 years, wind energy – which supplies just 2% of US electricity – has received US$30 billion in federal subsidies and grants.

How do we pay for wind power?

As consumers, we pay for electricity twice: once through our monthly electricity bill and a second time through taxes that finance massive subsidies for inefficient wind and other energy producers. Most cost estimates for wind power disregard the heavy burden of these subsidies on US taxpayers.

Why do wind turbines cost so much?

A detailed analysis of the United States market shows that the installed cost of wind power projects decreased steadily from the early 1980s to 2001, before rising as increased costs for raw materials and other commodities, coupled with more sophisticated wind power systems and supply chain constraints pushed up wind turbine costs (Figure 4.10).

How much does a wind farm cost?

The LCOE of typical new onshore wind farms in 2010 assuming a cost of capital of 10% was between USD 0.06 to USD 0.14/kWh. The higher capital costs o shore are somewhat o set by the higher capacity factors achieved, resulting in the LCOE of an o shore wind farm being between USD 0.13 and USD 0.19/kWh assuming a 10% cost of capital.

How much does onshore wind cost?

Reductions in average O&M costs for onshore wind are also possible, with wind turbine manufacturers increasingly competing on warranties and O&M agreements. Recent analyses estimate the LCOE from onshore wind power projects to be USD 0.06 to USD 0.11/kWh (Lazard 2009).