What about the cost?
A thorough comparison of clean energy sources
What’s the cheapest energy source?
The answer is not as simple as you might think.
The most common argument is that wind and solar power are the cheapest clean energy sources and that nuclear power plants are the most expensive. Taken at face value, it is true that a single solar photovoltaic (PV) panel is cheap, and that a single wind turbine is cheap, while on the other hand, a single nuclear power plant costs billions of pounds. Technically, measured one-on-one, it is correct that wind and solar are cheaper. But is it useful to compare them in this way?
This over-simplistic method of comparison is, unfortunately, commonplace among journalists, clean energy advocates, and even politicians. But the reality is that one wind turbine or solar panel is not truly equivalent to one power plant in terms of energy generation. It is like comparing apples and oranges in that regard. So let’s get into the nitty-gritty and take a look at how different types of energy costs add up.
