§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the relative efficiency of energy generation by wind power in relation to(a) wave power, (b) nuclear, (c) gas and (d) coal generation. [173632]
§ Mr. TimmsComparing the efficiency of renewable and non-renewable technologies is difficult. Fuel costs for the majority of renewables are zero, so obtaining the highest level of efficiency is less of a priority than reducing the overall cost of each unit of energy generated. The Department has published estimates of the cost of electricity generation from a variety of technologies by 2020. These come from the 2001 PIU energy review, 2002 Interdepartmental Analysts Group report, and the 2004 Renewables Innovation Review. The following ranges are based upon the lowest and highest estimates from each of these reports:
p/kWh Onshore wind 2.0–3.2 Offshore wind 2.0–4.6 Gas 2.0–2.9 Nuclear 2.6–4.0 Marine 4.0–6.2