14 October, 2014
(Rinnovabili.it) – The energy produced from wind on the ground may be more cost effective than that obtained from gas, nuclear or coal. How is it possible? The "trick" - that trick then is - is simply to make all accounts, or to add the discounted cost of energy externalities of technology, the effects on the environment than those on human health. To put the figures in black and white is "Subsidies and costs of EU energy" the new study compiled by Ecofys on behalf of the European Commission. The report states that by adding externalities, the MW / h electricity produced from wind on-shore would cost around 105 Euros, much less than that calculated for the gas (up to 164 €), nuclear power (133 EUR) and coal (between 162- 233 euro).
"This report highlights the real cost of Europe's dependence on fossil fuels," said Justin Wilkes, the deputy director general of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), in commenting on the report. "Renewables are regularly denigrated for being too expensive and represent a drain on the taxpayer. Instead the report of the European Commission, not only shows the alarming cost of coal, but also presents the wind power as the most economical and environmentally friendly. "
In detail, the report contains a number of data - so far never taken into account - on costs and subsidies for all the different technologies in the electricity sector and in all EU Member States. The results of this work show that, in 2012, the total value of public subsidies in the energy sector (excluding transport) inside dell'EU28 were between 120 to 140 billion euro. Most of these have gone to green technologies, particularly solar (with 14.7 billion) and wind power on land (10.1 billion), followed by biomass (8.3 billion) and hydropower (5.2 billion). Among the conventional technologies of power generation was coal instead to receive the largest amount of grants in 2012 with 10.1 billion euro, followed by nuclear power (7,000,000,000) and natural gas (5.2 billion). Too bad, say the authors of the report do not contain the figures also the benefits received by the free allocation of emissions certificates, nor the fiscal support for consumption, both of which on balance reduce the gap between support for renewable energy and support fossils.
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