Officials are expecting one of the worst wildfire seasons on record in California, with double
the typical number of fires so far this year, and we're just at the beginning of the dry season.
Intense, destructive wildfires are burning throughout the state, and while September and October are the peak
of the
typical fire season in California, the
number of fires exhibiting extreme behavior and «dangerous» rates
of spread has been far higher than usual due to the ubiquity
of tinder - dry, drought - cured brush and trees.
For comparison here is the same equation for a coal -
fired power plant: Coal power project installed cost: $ 2,500 / kW (High end
number — Some coal
fired plants are built for $ 1,500 / kW)
Typical life
of a coal
fired plant: 30 years Hours per year: 8,760 Average availability
of coal -
fired power plant: 88 % Total electricity production during plant life: 231,000 kWh / kW installed Value
of electricity produced: $ 16,188 / kW installed Lifetime Cost
of fuel = 231,000 x $ 0.006 = $ 1,388 / kW installed Net Value
of total electricity produced during plant life: $ 14,800 / kW installed.