What is the most cost effective way to generate electricity?

Question

Also, What is the most cost effective renewable way to generate electricity?

Is renewable energy always cleanburning?

Answer 1

nuclear is most cost effective
wind is most cost effective renewable
all conventional renewable enrgy sources are cleanburning

Answer 2

Not a simple question to answer without knowing a little more about your circumstances. If you happen to live by a river with a decent flow and head then micro hydro-power is very cost effective with a 70% water to wire efficiency. Next would be wind-power but with only 30% efficiency and then solar pv at something between 10 and 15%. Bang for buck hydro is about 20 times cheaper per watt than solar pv and wind is about 10 times cheaper than solar pv. BUT these are not the only options. You could also consider Combined Heat & Power (CHP) running a bio-diesel generator to create your electricity and using the generated heat to warm your house or hot water. Finally, if you live near a geothermal spring or have access to a geothermal source then you could use that. Like I said, no simple answer, a lot depends upon your circumstances, your personal consumptions levels and other things you may want to do.

Answer 3

Hydropower is the most cost effective but wind runs it a close second.

Renewable energy falls into several categories.

Wind, sea and sun are all clean.

Biofuels still produce carbon and have many disadvantages which at present tips the balance against them.

Corn and sugar prices are rising as they are used for fuel and food stocks diverted

Answer 4

If you collect methane gas from sanitary landfills, you can condense the water and produce a high BTU value for the Methane. This is cheap in the sense that it comes from trash and you'll produce it no matter what.

Renewable energy is not always cleanburning.

Answer 5

As costs of solar products decrease, solar energy is replacing electricity/fossil in many application like lighting, cooking and heating. More information at http://altenergy.in/

Answer 6

based on the following article it's Hydropower --- Hydropower is the cheapest way to generate electricity today. No other energy source, renewable or nonrenewable, can match it.
http://lsa.colorado.edu/essence/texts/hydropower.htm - less than one cent per kWh (kilowatt-hour) to produce electricity at a typical hydro plant. In comparison, it costs coal plants about four cents per kWh and nuclear plants two cents per kWh to generate electricity.

Answer 7

Lightening and thunderstorms are cheapest.

Answer 8

Thunderstorms, they cost nothing