[ProtectOurFreedom]

You are describing what’s known as the Levelized cost of electricity which is used to compare the 30 year lifetime cost of electricity produced by a plant.

The Lazard chart at the Wiki page of LCOE is deceptive for wind and solar because it does not account for intermittency and does not include the full system needed to make the power “dispatchable,” i.e., you can ramp it up and down to match demand. This has been an egregious BIG LIE about renewables the past 30 years.

You make coal plants dispatchable by keeping a 90 day supply of coal on the ground at the plant to buffer delivery problems (typical in winter) and labor stoppages. There is no practical, reliable, low cost or feasible way to store power generated by wind and solar.

[cymbeline]

“does not account for intermittency”

Wow! The chart shows that the lifetime kwh cost from natural gas is a almost 3 times cheaper than coal or nuclear, which are about tied. Nuclear is creeping up. I’d think it would be coming down with more standardized designs being offered.