Electricity costs and carbon emissions, by technology

The European Commission has issued a technical document that rounds up cost and emissions data for the principal electricity generating technologies. It’s likely to be used as a reference document in E.U. energy policy discussions, so let’s see what’s in it.

The external costs of electricity generation

The ExternE project has done the sums on the external costs of electricity generation. Wind has the lowest external costs, coal has the highest.

The cost of carbon abatement

What are the cheapest ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? How much does each carbon abatement measure cost? How does energy efficiency compare against energy generation? “Cost curve” analyses can provide some answers.

Energy economics in an era of carbon pricing

How much does low carbon electricity cost? What carbon price is needed to make it economical, and how does that price compare with the true external costs of carbon emissions?