At the beginning of October, Clean Energy Lab presented the first online calculator for the prime cost of energy.
This tool compares the LCOE from different sources in Ukraine and the cost of the technologies itself with the current electricity rates. The online calculator has been developed by the NGO Clean Energy Lab with the support of Heinrich Boell Foundation Kyiv Office — Ukraine.
The tool is publicly available in the beta testing mode.
The prime cost of energy is calculated based on the LCOE indicator (levelised cost of energy). It includes all expenses incurred by the production of electricity during the lifetime of the station with reference to the current prices and the fluctuations in the value of money over time.
The calculator is based on the simplified approach taking into account the basic parameters. That is why the LCOE results are meant to be used only for reference and to enable comparison among various technologies and locations.
"In the 2019 report, Bloomberg says that these sources (solar and wind energy — ed.note) are the cheapest for ⅔ of the world. Then why do people in Ukraine keep claiming that renewable energy is expensive? Why is the whole discourse build around the idea that RES mean ‘a green tariff,’ leading to corruption, which in its turn makes it expensive? The LCOE calculator debunks some of the myths existing in the discourse of renewable energy sources," said Clean Energy Lab cofounder Oleksii Mykhailenko in his presentation.
The presentation materials are available online (in Ukrainian).
The public presentation of the calculator can be viewed here (part I) and here (part II).
Photos by Viktoriia Myshkoriz