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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Solar Energy

Cost of solar-generated electricity for residential customers: 34 cents/kwh.

Cost of "conventionally-generated" electricity for residential customers: 8 cents/kwh.

This is from a site that promotes solar energy.

When you go to this site, you will see that they track solar energy costs on a monthly basis and their data goes back to 2000. They no longer publish the cost of "conventionally-generated" electricity; I assume it is because "conventionally-generated" electricity is so inexpensive, and may be getting less expensive relative to the rest of general living expenses (such as health care).

Also, note, that after eight years of promoting solar electricity and significant governmental incentives to promote solar electricity, the cost of solar electricity has not come down much. Solar-generated electricity costs have come down from about 37 cents/kwh to 34 cents vs 8 cents for conventionally-generated electricity.

Los Angeles city council is now voting to raise residential and commercial electric utility rates by as much as 28% to pay for green energy, despite the fact that the cost of natural gas is at historic lows and the US is literally awash in natural gas.