[DungeonMaster]

Since they all shut down then every form of power must be backed which removes that complaint against wind power.

That cost you quote is from a paid for 20 year old plant. Not exactly the going rate.

[Ditto]

Since they all shut down then every form of power must be backed which removes that complaint against wind power.

Huh? Are you saying that wind turbine/generators never need maintenance or that they never break or their transformers never blow? (The reality is that they are highly stressed machines exposed to all kinds of elements and are very maintenance intensive.)

And exactly what complaint are are removing for wind power? Since the national average capacity factor for wind power is 26%, doesn't that mean they require back-up plants 74% of the time? It seems that by your definition, we shouldn't waste our money on wind.

That cost you quote is from a paid for 20 year old plant. Not exactly the going rate.

The costs I quoted are total Operations, Maintenance and Fuel costs -- i.e., what it costs to generate one kWh of electricity. In the case of nuclear, it also includes payments to an escrow account to cover the costs of spent fuel disposal and eventual plant decomissioning.