Cost of electricity by source

Electricity production costs refer to the costs that are necessary for energy conversion from another form of energy into electricity. They are usually indicated in euros per megawatt hour. The electricity production costs arising from the cost of capital (including the financing costs of debt), the fixed and variable operating costs, fuel costs and the desired return on capital over the period of operation.

Sometimes incorrectly referred to the term power development costs will be used. Since, however, is an energy conversion process in the electricity sector, this term is considered to be inaccurate. Thus, electric current, for example, thermal energy, kinetic energy, radiant energy or nuclear energy ( fission / fusion ) can be generated.

Electricity production costs for new power plants by types of power plants

Europe

It is to be observed in the following table that the cost of renewable energies, especially photovoltaic quickly sink. Thus, the investment costs for a 10 kWp rooftop system, according to a representative survey commissioned by the Federal Solar Industry Association (BSW ) from the beginning of 2006 to the first quarter of 2014 fell by more than 5,000 Euro / kWp to 1 640 € / kWp. Large-scale PV power plants are available from 1000 euros per kilowatt. At the same has not yet been taken into account in the Stuttgart study that the construction of new nuclear power plants according to current figures caused significantly higher costs than originally estimated. ISET amounted in 2005 the electricity production costs of wind power for a 2 MW wind turbine from 4.5 to 8.5 ct / kWh.

Furthermore, it is to be observed in the following table that the real cost of photovoltaic electricity and to a lesser extent electricity from wind and hydroelectric power are significantly higher than is apparent from these calculations. Since it is the weather, the daily and seasonal time-dependent generation of these types of power generation, alternative power generation or power storage must be kept for predictable as unplanned downtime, whose costs are not included in these calculations, as a rule, but of course reflected in the total cost of electricity.

For renewable energy in electricity generation costs approximately equal to the average statutory feed-in tariff minus the imputed income of the operator can be assumed that these tariff rates allowing the economical realization of plants for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources and a reasonable profit. This applies to offshore wind turbines with some restrictions, because here deviates the initial remuneration up to 19 ct / kWh of the base salary of 3.5 ct / kWh. The high initial rate is to cover the risk of still largely untested technology and as an incentive for investors to enter into this high risk. The actual electricity production costs in the German offshore wind turbines are still unknown. In the UK, for a new -to-build nuclear power plant (2013, completion 2023Vorlage: Future / In 5 years ) a feed-in tariff of 92.50 lbs / MWh (equivalent to 11 cents / kWh ) plus compensation for inflation with a term of 35 years and takeovers of guarantees calculated in loans. In liability insurance for the nuclear power plant will be omitted. In an interview in March 2014, the E.ON CEO Johannes Teyssen said: "I do not expect that with the conventional power generation in the future, have any significant amount of money can be earned. " In a scientific study it was found already in 2010 that the electricity generation costs for solar power are below the electricity generation costs from new nuclear power plants.

United States

External costs

In power generation, various external effects occur that cause external costs. These external costs are not included in the price of electricity, but are borne by the public in varying degrees. Under the polluter pays principle, these costs would have to be performed in addition on the current price in order to reduce distortion of competition between conventional and renewable energy sources in electricity generation.

Since external effects are diffuse in their impact, external costs can not be directly assessed in monetary terms, but only determined by estimates. An approach to derive the external costs of environmental impact of electricity generation, is the methodological convention of the Federal Environment Agency. After that, the external costs of electricity production from lignite amount to 10.75 ct / kWh of coal 8.94 ct / kWh and natural gas 4.91 cents / kWh, from photovoltaic 1.18 ct / kWh and wind 0.26 ct / kWh of water and 0.18 ct / kWh. For nuclear energy, the Federal Environment Agency indicates no value, since different studies have results that vary by a factor of 1,000. It recommends the Atomic given the large uncertainty, be valued at the cost of the next inferior energy source. Building highlighted on this recommendation of the Federal Environment Agency and with their own approaches, the forum Ecological- Social Market Economy is the external cost of pollution of Atomic Energy with 10.7 to 34 ct / kWh.