Generating electricity from onshore wind is cheaper than gas, coal and nuclear when externalities are stacked with the levelised cost of energy and subsidies, according to an Ecofys study ordered and endorsed by the European Commission.
Based on EWEA's analysis of the data in the report, onshore wind has an approximate cost of € 105 per megawatt hour (MWh) which is cheaper than gas (up to € 164), nuclear (€ 133) and coal (between € 162-233). Offshore wind comes in at € 186 and solar PV has a cost of around € 217 per MWh. The total cost of energy production, which factors in externalities such as air quality, climate change and human toxicity among others, shows that coal is more expensive than the highest retail electricity price in the EU. The report puts the figure of external costs of the EU's energy mix in 2012 at between € 150 and € 310 billion.
