How much does wind power cost? Is it more expensive than other forms of energy?
• Electricity costs are driven by fuel prices, the cost of building new power plants, and the cost of building new transmission lines. Policy makers and governments may one day factor in costs for CO2 emissions. Wind power is increasingly competitive as fuel prices rise as a result of increased demand and constrained supply. • Wind power currently costs $.08/kilowatt hour, and is still falling. Coal costs $.05 per kilowatt hour, but that could rise to $.08 if CO2 from a coal-fired station must be captured and sequestered, or if there were a carbon tax of $30 per ton. With a penalty of $46 per ton of CO2, windpower matches natural gas and is cheaper than coal.
