“The cost of energy is driven by where and when it is produced — which helped push the price of solar electricity higher in 2019. In California, where the largest share of the nation’s solar capacity is located, the average wholesale electricity price across all technologies was $74/MWh in 2019. But the weighted average wholesale solar PV price in California was $100/MWh, about 20% higher than the national average for solar.
“Because California had the most PV capacity in the country, the state’s higher wholesale electricity prices contributed to solar PV’s higher national average price,” EIA explained.
Wholesale prices paid to fossil fuel generators averaged $34/MWh across the nation and $43/MWh in California.
Wind wholesale prices “are similarly affected by geography,” EIA noted — but wind-powered electricity tends to be generated in markets with relatively lower wholesale electricity prices.”
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Walton, Robert. Utility Dive 20 October 2020.