IRENA report says solar, wind and battery storage can provide continuous power at lower cost than new fossil fuel plants in some regions

Wednesday, May 6, 2026Science & ClimateWell-covered3 frames

IRENA published a report saying solar and wind paired with battery storage can deliver reliable, continuous electricity.
According to the report, in prime solar and wind regions, hybrid renewable systems with storage can provide round-the-clock power at lower cost than fossil fuels.
IRENA said firm levelized electricity costs for solar-plus-storage are about $54 to $82 per MWh in high-quality resource regions.
Those cost estimates were compared with about $70 to $85 per MWh for new coal in China and more than $100 per MWh for new gas globally.
Multiple reports citing IRENA said installed costs have fallen sharply since 2010, including an 87% decline for solar PV and a 55% decline for onshore wind.
Sources citing the IRENA report also said battery storage costs have fallen by about 93% since 2010, helping reduce the cost of firm renewable electricity.
The report matters because it addresses the cost of dispatchable or firm electricity, not just intermittent generation, using a metric for continuous power from hybrid renewable systems.
The findings are framed as applying to high-quality or prime solar and wind regions, leaving open how broadly the same cost advantage applies in areas with weaker renewable resources.

How left and right are reading this

Both agree: The meaningful shift is that the comparison is about firm, continuous electricity: in prime solar and wind regions, hybrid renewable systems with storage can now provide dependable power at costs that compete with or beat new fossil generation.
They split on: Less a disagreement than a question of emphasis: the breakthrough that renewables can now pair affordability with reliability, versus the geographic limits on where that cost advantage for dispatchable power can confidently be assumed.

IRENA published a report saying solar and wind paired with battery storage can deliver reliable, continuous electricity.
According to the report, in prime solar and wind regions, hybrid renewable systems with storage can provide round-the-clock power at lower cost than fossil fuels.
IRENA said firm levelized electricity costs for solar-plus-storage are about $54 to $82 per MWh in high-quality resource regions.
Those cost estimates were compared with about $70 to $85 per MWh for new coal in China and more than $100 per MWh for new gas globally.
Multiple reports citing IRENA said installed costs have fallen sharply since 2010, including an 87% decline for solar PV and a 55% decline for onshore wind.
Sources citing the IRENA report also said battery storage costs have fallen by about 93% since 2010, helping reduce the cost of firm renewable electricity.
The report matters because it addresses the cost of dispatchable or firm electricity, not just intermittent generation, using a metric for continuous power from hybrid renewable systems.
The findings are framed as applying to high-quality or prime solar and wind regions, leaving open how broadly the same cost advantage applies in areas with weaker renewable resources.