Wind and solar power are “much more competitive” against dirty energy sources than they were even just a few years ago, according to a detailed global analysis published this week.
In fact, according to the findings from the research company Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), wind power is now the cheapest electricity to produce in both Germany and the U.K., even without government subsidies. Though Denmark passed the same milestone last year, this is the first time that threshold has been crossed by a G7 economy.
“Renewables are really becoming cost-competitive, and they’re competing more directly with fossil fuels.”
—Luke Mills, Bloomberg New Energy Finance
The analysis took into account not just the cost of generating a megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity, but also the upfront capital and development expenses, the cost of equity and debt finance, and operating and maintenance fees.