
Solar and Onshore Wind Now Cheapest Source of New Bulk Power - toomuchtodo
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/11/21/solar-onshore-now-cheapest-source-of-new-bulk-power/
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toomuchtodo
Notable points:

> The benchmark global levelized cost of onshore wind sits even lower than
> solar, at $52/MWh, down 6% from BNEF’s 1H 2018 analysis, and driven by
> cheaper turbines and a stronger US dollar. This is, of course, the average
> cost, and is as cheap as $27/MWh in India and Texas. Further, in most
> locations across the United States, wind outcompetes combined-cycle gas
> plants (CCGT) supplied by shale gas, putting the lie to the idea that shale
> gas is the savior of America’s power reserves. Further, according to BNEF,
> “If the gas price rises above $3/MMBtu, our analysis suggests that new and
> existing CCGT are going to run the risk of becoming rapidly undercut by new
> solar and wind.”

My note: US Henry Hub natural gas has already been above $3/MMBtu for the last
month, and the price momentum is trending upwards (to be expected with the
winter season):

[https://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/rngwhhdM.htm](https://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/rngwhhdM.htm)

> Finally, and highlighting a growing trend in the energy sector, short-
> duration batteries are now the cheapest source of new fast-response and
> peaking capacity across the globe — except in the United States, where cheap
> gas gives peaker gas plants an edge. Further, as electric vehicle
> manufacturers ramp up, battery costs will only continue to fall and are set
> to decline by 66% by 2030, resulting in cheaper storage for the power
> sector. Further, batteries combined with solar PV or wind are becoming more
> common, and BNEF’s new analysis predicts that new-build solar and wind which
> are paired with four-hour battery storage systems can already be cost-
> competitive, without subsidy, as a source of dispatchable generation, when
> compared with new coal and gas plants in historically fossil fuel-intensive
> countries such as Australia and India.

