Electric power generated in 2017 by wind turbines in Germany exceeded the amount from hard coal and nuclear reactors for the first time, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems reports. Wind power in Germany has an installed capacity of about 54 gigawatts, outstripping all other main sources of electric power. On Nov. 23, about 46% of Germany’s electrical generation came from wind farms, according to WindEurope.org.
The financial firm Lazard reports that the life-cycle cost of nuclear power ranges from $112 to $183 per megawatt hour, while wind power ranges from $30 to $60. And the cost of utility-scale solar photovoltaic generation is $43 to $53 per megawatt hour. Adding storage, solar photovoltaic comes in at $82 per megawatt hour, down from $92 just a year ago.
— Brian Parkin, Bloomberg, Nov. 24, 2017; Philip Warburg, Institute for Sustainable Energy, Boston University.