Costs to Operate and Maintain
Part 2 in a 3-part series
Once you build a power plant, it takes money to operate and maintain it. This affects the utility company’s bottom line and just how much consumers must pay for the power they use. Once again, solar power is a leader compared to other forms of electricity generation, which is why solar power is better!
The United States Energy Information Administration looked at the operating and maintenance costs over time for all of the different types of power generators in our country. What they calculated is quite revealing regarding the costs of electricity generation.
- Depending on the specific type of plant, natural gas is the leader on fixed costs, but these power plants also experience variable costs due to price fluctuations in the cost of gas.
- Solar power plants are comparable to natural gas, when you factor in that they have zero variable cost (sunshine is free).
- Nuclear and geothermal plants have some of the highest operating costs for major power generators in the United States.
- Coal is significantly more expensive as an energy source than either natural gas or solar power.
- The costs for onshore wind power come in just below coal, again due to the fact that the wind, like sunshine, is free.
Therefore, over time it is clear that energy consumers are best served, from an economic perspective, by solar power and natural gas.
The typical household electrified by Solaron uses this combination of power. SunPower solar panels provide electricity, with no variable costs. Natural gas provides power for cooking and heating, with some of the lowest fuel costs available. To likewise convert your home or business into this efficient form of energy use, contact Solaron and find out why solar is better!