Axulus
Veteran Member
“I don’t think anybody, really, in the market … envisioned what’s going on here,” said Shalabi. “This is new to a lot of us, that the technology is actually declining at such a rate. I think we’re all very happy about that, especially since our goals are so aggressive for solar.”
Shalabi was referring to the response that the utility received to a recent request for proposal, or RFP, for up to 600 megawatts’ worth of competitive solar contracts. Releasing the request is part of the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2025, which sets a goal for a 55 percent renewable energy portfolio by the end of its term.
“I think this is good news – we have a firm bid under $40 (per megawatt hour),” Shalabi said.
Estimates for average cost per megawatt using various other sources (project starts in 2015, completed by 2020)
Conventional Coal: $95
Gas conventional combined cycle: $75
Gas advanced combined cycle: $72
Advanced nuclear: $95
Onshore wind: $74
Offshore wind: $197
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_of_electricity_by_source
</pedant>