Ultimate Cost Comparison of Electricity Sources (2025)

Ultimate Cost Comparison of Electricity Sources (2025) This table reflects all major lifecycle and system-wide costs—including land, maintenance, equipment replacement, disposal, grid integration, intermittency coverage, backup generation, transmission, and permitting—excluding carbon taxes and subsidies.

These costs now include:

• 🏗️ Transmission infrastructure: Long-distance lines and substations for remote renewables
• ⚙️ Grid stabilization: Inverters, frequency regulators, reactive power compensators
• 🚫 Curtailment losses: Wasted energy during peak production
• 🔄 Backup generation: Gas/hydro plants on standby for intermittency
• ♻️ Decommissioning & recycling: End-of-life costs for panels, blades, batteries
• 🛡️ Insurance & permitting: Legal fees, community opposition, regulatory compliance

🔍 Real-World Insight

• In Texas, full system costs for solar have reached $413/MWh in some cases when grid and backup costs are included
• Lazard’s 2025 report confirms that solar and wind remain cheapest even with firming and integration costs3

🧠 Bottom Line

When you factor in everything, wind and solar are still competitive or cheaper than coal and nuclear in most regions. But the gap narrows when you include full system costs—especially for remote or poorly integrated projects.