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== Proposed de-merger (again) ==
Recent activity in the solar energy sector has highlighted that the LCOE measure is not sufficient for calculating the value of energy provided by certain technologies where dispatchability is significantly different between the technologies. For example, a coal station is inflexible: it works best when producing a constant output, and cannot respond quickly to changes in demand. Likewise a solar panel is inflexible: it must output its energy when the sun shines, and can essential do so at zero incremental cost.
New methods for estimating the value of energy delivered to the grid from diffferent sources are emerging, such as the 'Net System Cost Method' discussed by Joe Desmond frm Brightsource energy. This is because it is important that "cost" is not seen as the be-all and end-all in determining the merit and success of different energy technologies -- the market pays more in periods of higher demand, so technologies that can flexibly respond to that need to be judged on a metric that takes that into account.
This page should be renamed 'Levelised cost of energy', the data for LCOE for certain sources should be moved with it, and a new page discussing these issues should replace the current one.
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