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Study: New Wind Energy Is 3 Times More Expensive Than Existing Coal Power

EPA regulations are forcing hundreds of coal-fired generators to prematurely retire, but replacing the existing coal fleet with new wind farms and natural gas-fired plants will burden Americans with higher cost electricity, according to a new study.

The free-market Institute for Energy Research has released a new report showing that electricity from new wind farms is three times more expensive than power generated from existing coal plants and four times costlier than electricity from today’s nuclear fleet. IER’s study also shows that electricity from new natural gas plants is nearly twice as expensive as power from existing coal plants.

“This study helps us understand the cost impacts of shutting down existing power plants and replacing them with new ones,” Travis Fisher, an energy policy expert at IER, told The Daily Caller News Foundation.

IER’s study is meant to serve as a policy guide for policymakers in the face of EPA regulations. The idea is to show government officials the true cost of retiring coal and nuclear plants and replacing them with new wind farms and natural gas plants — something government data doesn’t show.

source: http://dailycaller.com