Slide Library
At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, our analysts frequently convert their research into information that is presented to other professionals, as well as the general public. Some of our more significant presentation slides are featured on the home page of the Web site, but also are referenced here in our Slide Library for future use.
Cost Curves
The cost of energy (COE) from renewable technologies has steadily declined in the past quarter century. As an example, the cost of wind energy has declined from about 30-45 cents per kilowatt-hour in 1980 to less than 5 cents today. Wind, PV, geothermal, solar thermal, and biomass have all seen significant drops in cost with the improvements in technology. This PowerPoint slide shows these historical trends and includes projections through 2020. These represent levelized cents/kWh in constant 2000$.
Updated: Draft editions of redesigned cost curves are now available. The new cost curves use a different format with bands representing low through high costs of energy instead of a single average line, and use the latest available cost projections. The bands represent a range of COE values given the existing diversity of the quality of resources. Cost curves include historical values starting in 1980 and projection through 2025. All costs are in constant 2005$.
Utility Green Pricing Activities
Since the first utility green pricing program was offered in 1993, more than 600 utilities in 34 states now offer green pricing. At the end of 2004, more than 700 MW of new renewable energy capacity has been installed to meet utility customer demand with another nearly 230 MW announced or already under construction. Nevertheless, only about 20% of the nation's utilities currently offer green pricing so there is plenty of opportunity for growth. For more on this topic, visit the Green Power Network.
Personal Travel
Do human beings have an inclination to devote a fixed amount of time to travel on an average daily basis? This slide indicates that the average daily time spent traveling has been fairly constant in several different countries and different years, even though the average daily distance has been quite variable. In the third column, the slide also suggests that the percent of disposable income allocated to travel costs is somewhat, but not strongly, correlated with distances traveled. For more on this topic, access the NREL Energy Analysis Seminar presentation given by George Eads, Charles River Associates, on "The WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) Sustainable Mobility Project - A Status Report," August 8, 2002.
Also see Sustainable Mobility Web site for more information.
