Columbia Energy Center

Wisconsin

1976

1112

MW

5.6

MT/y

Columbia Energy Center

Profitable?

No

Profitable?

Yes

Annual CO2 emissions saved

5.6

MT / year

Total W-S-B investment need

2.645

Bn. $

Investment breakdown

Investment Sum

This power plant can be profitably converted to S-W-B with a $2.645 Bn total investment.

This power plant can be converted to S-W-B with a $2.645 Bn total investment.

Solar

699

M. $

Wind

1,814

M. $

Battery

132,361

M. $

Production costs

5.2

ct/kWh

Production cost of coal (Source: IEA World Energy Outlook 2022; adjusted)

3.43

ct/kWh

Production cost of renewable energy

Technical breakdown

Renewables installed capacity

Solar

1075

MW

Wind

1314

MW

Battery

116

MWh

Renewable energy production

Share of Solar-Wind to match current coal production

23.1

%

76.9

%

Solar

Wind

Renewables area

Total area required for Wind-Solar mix*: 46.94 km²

*On sites with a high wind fraction, wind need = total need. Solar panels are placed within the area occupied by wind infrastructure.

8.60

km²

46.94

km²

Area use solar

Area use wind

Environmental conditions

Key environmental conditions around coal plant site (10,000 km2)

These are input values for the SwitchCoal model taken from the following reliable sources:

www.globalwindatlas.info | www.globalsolaratlas.info

Solar efficiency rate

1402

kwh/kwp

Mean wind speed

9

m/s

Impact

90%

of the world’s coal power plants can be profitably replaced by wind-solar-battery plants.

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Friuli-Venezia Giulia

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