AUSTIN, Texas - Apr 24 - Augusta Chronicle, The

The battle of wind power vs. sun power is tilting in wind's favor.

Both provide an environmentally friendly alternative to coal- and gas-fired electricity, and both emit none of the greenhouse gases associated with globalwarming. But solar power - despite several advantages over wind - is much more expensive, experts say. "You get more bang for your buck from wind energy than from solar energy," said Ryan Wiser, who leads renewable-energy research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.

As the public expresses growing concern over both global warming and rising utility bills, consumer advocates say it's more important than ever to balance the costs and benefits of wind power, solar power and other forms of renewable energy.

It's not a question of whether the state should pursue clean-air strategies - but rather which ones, and at what cost. Who stands to save money and who stands to pay more?

The solar-power industry already lags far behind wind in Texas, which recently leapfrogged California to become the largest wind- power-generating state in the nation. And many more wind turbines are expected soon.

But California leads the nation in solar power and is pursuing even more through its Million Solar Roof Plan, which was signed into law by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006.

In California, the plan is to provide new publicly funded rebates for those who install solar panels at their homes and businesses. California is charging ratepayers about $3.3 billion - or about $86 per Californian - to finance the program. That amounts to about $1 per month on a typical bill over a period of years, according to a representative of the California Public Utilities Commission.

Policymakers say the rebates will increase California solar power output by 3,000 megawatts by 2018 - or enough new power for about 1.5 million homes, under normal conditions.

By comparison, the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone program in Texas will lead to the construction of $3 billion to $6.4 billion in transmission lines - all for wind power, and all constructed at ratepayer expense. That equates to anywhere from $150 to $320 for every Texan served by the state's power grid, though the exact impact on home bills won't be known until action later this year by the Texas Public Utility Commission. The cost will likely be spread over a number of years.

Under the Texas plan, the state hopes to encourage electric companies to build an additional 5,150 megawatts to 17,950 megawatts of wind turbines - or enough for 2.6 million to 9 million homes.

Bottom line: Under California's plan, the development of an additional megawatt of solar power would cost ratepayers $1.1 million. Under the Texas plan, an additional megawatt would cost $356,000 to $573,000.

Experts also say solar power enjoys several advantages over wind - advantages that increase the value of sun power for those paying the bills.

For instance, because the wind typically stops blowing during the middle of hot summer days, Texas won't get much use from those expensive new transmission lines when it needs the power the most. Obviously, that's not a problem with solar.

Wind also presents tough - and sometimes expensive - technical challenges. Because wind turbines will stop spinning without a moment's notice, engineers at the power grid must sometimes have more expensive standby power ready and waiting.

Then there's the question of power lines. With wind power, ratepayers get stuck with the enormous price tag. This cost is avoided with rooftop solar power andcan be minimized with other sorts of solar energy.

Wind-power advocates argue that concerns over the transmission costs are overblown. They say savings from wind power - which has zero fuel costs - quickly offset the extra expense.

But some skeptics say that under the deregulated electricity system in Texas, there's not a guarantee that ratepayers will see much of those savings. Instead, much of it may end up padding the bottom line of electric companies.

Originally published by McClatchy Newspapers.

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