Changing energy prices in Australia

Australia instituted a carbon tax last year.  Lo and behold, wind power is now cheaper than coal from new plants and natural gas.  Electricity can be supplied from a new wind farm in Australia at a cost of A$80 ($84) per megawatt hour, compared with A$143 a megawatt hour from a new coal-fired power plant or A$116 from a new station powered by natural gas when the cost of carbon emissions is included, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report.   Older coal-fired power stations built in the 1970s and 1980s are still cheaper than wind-powered plants can still produce power at a lower cost than that of wind, the research shows. This change in relative costs is very significant because Australia has some of the world’s best fossil fuel resources.