Over at sister blog The Locker Room, Jon Sanders, director of regulatory studies for JLF, has posted a chart and data that illustrates why mandates that require utilities to produce a portion of their energy from renewable sources is so costly to you and me. Simply put, energy sources that aren’t viable in the marketplace are being subsidized by ratepayers — that’s you and me. Jon’s chart specifically compares the costs of natural gas to solar — a favorite of supporters of renewables — and it’s quite clear that solar is much more costly. North Carolina has imposed this type of mandate on utility companies. It is this type of data that has some policy makers working to repeal or pare back the mandate. The bottom line is this: Would you prefer to pay more or less for your electricity? The policy imbedded in North Carolina’s renewable energy portfolio standard ensures you will pay more.