Powys Green Guide Blog
02 June 2025
Carbon Costs of Electricity Comparison
Image shows energy generated by various methods, including mining, fuel transport, infrastructure, maintenance and decommissioning . The figures are global averages. They originate from reports to the IPCC.
Some people question if wind turbines actually deliver very low carbon energy considering the amount of steel and concrete used - gas fired power stations also use lots before a single kw is generated - but you can work out yourself how much power a single 6 MW rated turbine will generate over its 40 year lifetime. Assume it generates an average of 2 MW. Then multiply by 11 gm per kw. The numbers are huge. Then take another look at gas and coal.
An up to date comparison - May 2025
Even if the carbon cost of gas is ignored, renewables are still cheaper. The costs of renewables continue to fall, while gas remains volatile.
Data from the Dept of Energy Security and Net Zero.
Images by Llanidloes Futures.
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