Japanese Study Estimates Renewables Cheaper than Fossil Fuel, Nukes by 2030

As Japan continues to recover from the disaster at is Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following last Spring’s earthquake and tsunami, a government committee has produced estimated generation costs for a wide range of fuels in 2030. The results are more than a little startling.

By 2030, the cost of a kilowatt hour of nuclear-generated electricity will cost 8.9 yen (about $0.11), which includes the cost of cleaning up after a major accident such as the one that occurred earlier this year. A kilowatt hour of electricity from coal will cost 10.3 yen, a kilowatt hour of power from LNG will cost 10.9 yen, and a kilowatt hour generated with oil will cost 38.9 yen. Carbon emissions costs and rising prices for fuel are responsible for the projected price hikes.

In contrast, wind power generation from land-based turbines is expected to cost 8.8 yen for a kilowatt hour, down from 9.9 yen per kilowatt hour in 2010. Solar power generation costs dive from 33.4 yen per kilowatt hour in 2010 to 9.9 yen in 2030. The difference, of course, is that neither wind nor sun fuel costs will rise (free is still free) and the lack of carbon emissions means that neither wind nor sun will rack up those costs either.