Wind and solar power are not the inexpensive sources of energy that many thought they would be, since they impose costs on the generating system for back-up power, land requirements, and greater transmission lines
Existing Generating Resources Are Less Costly Than New Generating Resources
The Institute for Energy Research (IER) and the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) released a report today that finds that building new electrical generating facilities to replace perfectly good existing plants ahead of their optimal retirement time increases electricity prices to consumers. This results because consumers must pay for the construction costs for the new plants--costs that have been largely paid off by existing plants. While this may be good for regulated utilities because it increases their rate base, it is bad for consumers and, ultimately, the economy.
