Question:
Although renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, have been available for a long time, they have not been widely adopted because of their high cost relative to coal. Some people have recently suggested that conventional cost comparisons are not adequate, because they do not take environmental costs into account. For example, while coal is a very cheap energy source, it is also a significant contributor of greenhouse gases. Should environmental costs be incorporated into decision formulas when planners evaluate new power plants?