Two Charts, One Grid: Clean Electricity Is Getting Cheaper But Feels More Expensive - CleanTechnica

The article from CleanTechnica examines an apparent contradiction in electricity pricing trends amid grid decarbonization, illustrated by two charts comparing nominal and inflation-adjusted residential electricity prices against carbon intensity for the ten largest electricity-producing countries between 2015 and 2024. The first chart shows nominal prices rising as carbon intensity falls, suggesting decarbonization leads to higher consumer bills. The second chart, adjusting for inflation, reveals that real electricity prices have remained flat or even declined despite reductions in carbon emissions. Both perspectives are accurate but answer different questions: nominal prices reflect consumers' immediate bill experience, while inflation-adjusted prices indicate the evolving economic burden of electricity over time. This duality helps explain public and political confusion about the costs of electrification. The article further discusses how electricity systems progress through phases—early transition (fossil fuel dominance and capacity expansion), mid-transition (building renewables, transmission, storage), and mature low-carbon systems (operating mostly paid-off clean infrastructure). Price behaviors