ISSN (print) - 0131-7652

ISSN (online) - 2686-7605

Vol. 56 No. 2 (2026)
ECOLOGY AND ECONOMY

Generation Competition Taking into Account Social and Environmental Costs (on the Example of the USA)

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  • V.D. Gazman
V.D. Gazman
National Research University “Higher School of Economics”
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30680/ECO0131-7652-2026-2-224-237

Published 2026-04-06

Keywords

  • solar energy; traditional energy; statistical cost of life; social cost of carbon; levelized cost of electricity LCOE, LCOS; CO2 emissions

How to Cite

1.
Gazman В. Generation Competition Taking into Account Social and Environmental Costs (on the Example of the USA). ECO [Internet]. 2026 Apr. 6 [cited 2026 Apr. 7];56(2):224-37. Available from: https://ecotrends.ru/index.php/eco/article/view/4961

Abstract

The fourth energy transition requires determining the actual state of affairs in the electric power industry in terms of achieving grid parity in stages. The paper covers the debate in the scientific community on the theory and practice of determining the levelized cost of energy production and storage (LCOE and LCOS) and highlights the duality of opinions on the main issues of the topic under study. It justifies the need to change the established approaches to cost assessment when comparing gas and solar generation by including energy storage costs, CO2 emission taxes, and significant socio-economic costs associated with the harmful effects of carbon dioxide emissions in the LCOE. The author presents new LCOE and LCOS formulas, taking into account the expanded range of costs for both types of generation at each stage of the fourth energy transition. Calculations of the comparability of LCOE and LCOS in the United States are also provided.
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