Thursday, Sep 10, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ ↗
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As of early 2026, new onshore wind and solar are cheaper than fossil generation in most major economies.

The Claim

As of March 1, 2026, renewable energy sources are more expensive per kilowatt-hour than fossil fuels in most major economies.

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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.'

The Receipts

  1. Short-Term Energy Outlook - EIA

    EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

  2. Short-Term Energy Outlook - EIA

    U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

  3. Energy Fact Book, 2025-2026

    Natural Resources Canada

  4. Alternative Fuel Price Report

    Alternative Fuels Data Center (DOE)

  5. 91% of New Renewable Projects Now Cheaper Than Fossil Fuels Alternatives - IRENA

    IRENA

  6. UN and IRENA: Renewables the Cheapest Electricity Source in 2024 - Energy Tracker Asia

    Energy Tracker Asia

  7. The State of Clean Energy, in 10 Charts

    World Resources Institute (WRI)

  8. The myth of renewables pushing up power prices - Zero Carbon Analytics

    Zero Carbon Analytics

  9. Chart: US to overwhelmingly build clean power in 2026

    Canary Media

  10. Global: cost of renewable energy versus fossil fuels, 2028 - Statista

    Statista

+ 6 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

fossil fuelsmajor economiesrenewable energy sources

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