As of March 1, 2026, renewable energy sources are more expensive per kilowatt-hour than fossil fuels in most major economies.
NOT BSTOTAL BS
TOTAL BS — Verdict: False
Verified by Lenz ·
The Short Version
This claim is false. As of early 2026, authoritative data from IRENA, BloombergNEF, and Lazard consistently show that renewable energy — particularly onshore wind (~$0.034/kWh) and solar PV (~$0.043/kWh) — is cheaper per kilowatt-hour than fossil fuels ($0.08–$0.17/kWh) for new electricity generation in most major economies. IRENA reports that 91% of newly commissioned utility-scale renewable projects undercut the cheapest fossil fuel alternatives. The claim inverts the actual cost relationship.
Caveats
The claim conflates fossil fuels' dominance of existing energy supply and electricity market price-setting with per-kWh generation cost — these are fundamentally different concepts.
Some arguments supporting this claim misuse renewable diesel (a transport fuel) pricing data as evidence about electricity generation costs, which is a category error.
While legacy fossil fuel plants with sunk capital costs may have lower marginal operating costs in some markets, this does not support the broad claim that renewables are 'more expensive per kWh in most major economies.'