Tuuk Mirrormundo
5th April 2019, 21:20
There is a lot of information available on comparison qua cost-efficiency between solar and wind-energy.
The 'levelized cost of energy' (LCOE) is a measure of a power source that allows comparison of different methods of electricity generation on a consistent basis. It is an economic assessment of the average total cost to build and operate a power-generating asset over its lifetime divided by the total energy output of the asset over that lifetime. The LCOE can therefore also be regarded as the average minimum price at which electricity must be sold in order to break-even over the lifetime of the project.
However, the efficiency also depends on the geographical region where energy is generated. The choice for solar or wind therefore depends, I would say, on the question where either technology is applied. This information is harder to find in the LCOE-projections; anyway I didn't.
The coastal regions of Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, southern Chili & Argentina, and southern New Zealand are extremely windy places, so perfect for wind-turbines.
Australia, south-west USA, northern Chili + southern Peru, the Sahara-desert + the Arabian peninsula, Afghanistan, eastern Mongolia are extremely sunny, so perfect for solar.
Some regions are well suited for both: Western Sahara + Canary Islands, southern Namibia + western South Africa, Somalia + the Yemenite island of Socotra, and Tibet.
Most of these places are not densely populated (maybe because they're too sunny & windy), so investments in harvesting energy in these regions should consider the costs of transportation to consumers. Then conversion to hydrogen (H2) and its transportation is then an option, but this requires huge investments.
Many densely populated regions have a more temperate climate in terms of sun/wind, but are not that ill suited for solar or wind in comparison with importing hydrogen from abroad. In those regions, what is the ratio of wind vs. irradiation by which solar or wind is more cost-efficient? In other words: is there a world-map which shows in what regions solar is more cost-efficient, and in what region wind-turbines are?
The 'levelized cost of energy' (LCOE) is a measure of a power source that allows comparison of different methods of electricity generation on a consistent basis. It is an economic assessment of the average total cost to build and operate a power-generating asset over its lifetime divided by the total energy output of the asset over that lifetime. The LCOE can therefore also be regarded as the average minimum price at which electricity must be sold in order to break-even over the lifetime of the project.
However, the efficiency also depends on the geographical region where energy is generated. The choice for solar or wind therefore depends, I would say, on the question where either technology is applied. This information is harder to find in the LCOE-projections; anyway I didn't.
The coastal regions of Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, southern Chili & Argentina, and southern New Zealand are extremely windy places, so perfect for wind-turbines.
Australia, south-west USA, northern Chili + southern Peru, the Sahara-desert + the Arabian peninsula, Afghanistan, eastern Mongolia are extremely sunny, so perfect for solar.
Some regions are well suited for both: Western Sahara + Canary Islands, southern Namibia + western South Africa, Somalia + the Yemenite island of Socotra, and Tibet.
Most of these places are not densely populated (maybe because they're too sunny & windy), so investments in harvesting energy in these regions should consider the costs of transportation to consumers. Then conversion to hydrogen (H2) and its transportation is then an option, but this requires huge investments.
Many densely populated regions have a more temperate climate in terms of sun/wind, but are not that ill suited for solar or wind in comparison with importing hydrogen from abroad. In those regions, what is the ratio of wind vs. irradiation by which solar or wind is more cost-efficient? In other words: is there a world-map which shows in what regions solar is more cost-efficient, and in what region wind-turbines are?