Renewables Increasingly Beat Even Cheapest Coal Competitors on Cost
2020.06.03 From: irena
Competitive power generation costs make investment in renewables highly attractive as countries target economic recovery from COVID-19, new IRENA report finds.
Renewable power is increasingly cheaper than any new electricity capacity based on fossil fuels, a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published today finds. Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2019 shows that more than half of the renewable capacity added in 2019 achieved lower power costs than the cheapest new coal plants.
The report highlights that new renewable power generation projects now increasingly undercut existing coal-fired plants. On average, new solar photovoltaic (PV) and onshore wind power cost less than keeping many existing coal plants in operation, and auction results show this trend accelerating – reinforcing the case to phase-out coal entirely. Next year, up to 1 200 gigawatts (GW) of existing coal capacity could cost more to operate than the cost of new utility-scale solar PV, the report shows.
Replacing the costliest 500 GW of coal with solar PV and onshore wind next year would cut power system costs by up to USD 23 billion every year and reduce annual emissions by around 1.8 gigatons (Gt) of carbon dioxide (CO2), equivalent to 5% of total global CO2 emissions in 2019. It would also yield an investment stimulus of USD 940 billion, which is equal to around 1% of global GDP.
“We have reached an important turning point in the energy transition. The case for new and much of the existing coal power generation, is both environmentally and economically unjustifiable,” said Francesco La Camera, Director-General of IRENA. “Renewable energy is increasingly the cheapest source of new electricity, offering tremendous potential to stimulate the global economy and get people back to work. Renewable investments are stable, cost-effective and attractive offering consistent and predictable returns while delivering benefits to the wider economy.
“A global recovery strategy must be a green strategy,” La Camera added. “Renewables offer a way to align short-term policy action with medium- and long-term energy and climate goals. Renewables must be the backbone of national efforts to restart economies in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. With the right policies in place, falling renewable power costs, can shift markets and contribute greatly towards a green recovery.”
Renewable electricity costs have fallen sharply over the past decade, driven by improving technologies, economies of scale, increasingly competitive supply chains and growing developer experience. Since 2010, utility-scale solar PV power has shown the sharpest cost decline at 82%, followed by concentrating solar power (CSP) at 47%, onshore wind at 39% and offshore wind at 29%.
Costs for solar and wind power technologies also continued to fall year-on-year. Electricity costs from utility-scale solar PV fell 13% in 2019, reaching a global average of 6.8 cents (USD 0.068) per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Onshore and offshore wind both declined about 9%, reaching USD 0.053/kWh and USD 0.115/kWh, respectively.
Recent auctions and power purchase agreements (PPAs) show the downward trend continuing for new projects are commissioned in 2020 and beyond. Solar PV prices based on competitive procurement could average USD 0.039/kWh for projects commissioned in 2021, down 42% compared to 2019 and more than one-fifth less than the cheapest fossil-fuel competitor namely coal-fired plants. Record-low auction prices for solar PV in Abu Dhabi and Dubai (UAE), Chile, Ethiopia, Mexico, Peru and Saudi Arabia confirm that values as low as USD 0.03/kWh are already possible.
For the first time, IRENA’s annual report also looks at investment value in relation to falling generation costs. The same amount of money invested in renewable power today produces more new capacity than it would have a decade ago. In 2019, twice as much renewable power generation capacity was commissioned than in 2010 but required only 18% more investment.
Read the full report Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2019
Upcoming CSP events:
10th CSP Focus China 2020 (June 18-19, Beijing China)
5th CSP Focus MENA 2020(September 9-10,Dubai, UAE)
More CSP news and reports please visit www.cspfocus.cn
or CSP Focus social media on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook.
More from CSP Focus
NextProtermosolar asks the spanish government for specific renewable technology auctions
Tower completed!-China Shouhang Dunhuang 100 MW molten salt Solar Tower CSP pilot project
Libya plans 300 MW in Concentrated Solar Power and PV projects
What Does The Future Hold For Concentrated Solar Power in the Middle East?
Egypt will produce 61,000MW of renewable energy, of which 12,000MW concentrated solar power
NEW SUPER-POWERFUL HEAT TRANSFER FLUID FOR CONCENTRATED SOLAR POWER SYSTEMS
Leave your thoughts here
Reports(Member Only)
See more+-
CSP Focus Membership Proposals
We are now proposing CSP Focus Membership, hoping to better serve our members to keep pace with the latest updates of ongoing CSP projects worldwide, and to establish and maintain business relations with major shareholders of the projects. CSP Focus offers to Membership exclusive access to:1. Daily/Weekly update and analysis on CSP policies, projects, technologies, market trend and corporate relea
-
The Latest CSP Focus Monthly Update
Join CSP Focus Membership to Get the Latest CSP Focus Monthly Update December Edition.
-
CSP Project Monthly Update 2022 December Edition
CSP Focus is presenting CSP Project (China) Update 2022 December Edition.Detail report is available for CSP Focus Membership.
-
Presentations-CSP Focus China 2021
The Report is for CSP Focus Members only.
Upcoming Events
See more+-
12th CSP Focus China 2022
2022.04.21-22 Beijing
-
11th CSP Focus China 2021
2021.10.28-29 Beijing
-
10th CSP Focus China 2020
2020.10.22-23 Beijing, China
Project Updates
See more+-
Lanzhou Dacheng Dunhuang CSP Project
Asia Pacific-China,Operational,Parabolic Trough
-
Luneng Haixi 50MW Molten Salt Tower CSP Project
Asia Pacific-China,Operational,Power Tower
-
Dubai 950MW NOOR Energy 1 CSP+PV Project
MENA-UAE,Under construction,Power Tower
-
Power China Gonghe 50MW Molten Salt Tower CSP Project
Asia Pacific-China,Operational,Power Tower