Oil is generally considered to be among the costlier energy sources. The cost of the oil itself makes up a more significant part of the overall cost of generating electricity using oil than the upfront cost of building the power station, so any fluctuations in oil prices can cause estimates of the overall cost to vary significantly. Taxes on greenhouse gas emissions are increasing, and oil-fired power stations have a large carbon footprint, so these taxes further increase the cost of generating electricity using oil.
These are the affordability challenges facing oil. Read about the possible solutions.
Find out more about oil as a means of generating electricity.
Compare this aspect of oil with other energy sources.