Sunlight and wind are free; panels and turbines aren’t

While sunlight and wind may be free, solar panels and wind turbines are expensive indeed.

Then add in the cost of battery backup for electricity storage.

And also add in the cost of maintaining baseline energy from hydrocarbons (natural gas or coal) or nuclear or hydro, for when the sun is on the other side of the planet and doesn’t shine on the solar panels, and when intermittent wind decides to not blow for a few days (or weeks).

●》Hence, *harnessing* solar and wind for generating electricity is exceedingly expensive indeed.

(This post was triggered by the phrase “sunshine is free” in a different thread, which was discussing the pros and cons of solar and wind vs. oil and gas.)