China is expanding renewables almost exclusively at a rapid pace: Last year, the increase was as high as Germany's total electricity consumption.
To put this in perspective: China alone installed 415 GW of solar in 2025. That single country's solar installations in one year exceeded the entire cumulative capacity of every operational nuclear reactor on Earth combined (~376 GW).
A massive new global study completely demolishes fossil fuels and nuclear power. The economics just flipped: a brand-new report from IRENA proves that building firm, round-the-clock solar-plus-storage from scratch is now actively cheaper than just buying the fuel to keep an existing, fully paid-off gas or coal plant running. Since 2010, battery costs have crashed by 93% and solar by 87%, bringing the price of 24/7 hybrid power down to $54–$82/MWh—decisively undercutting fossil fuels. This completely changes the game. Historically, old fossil plants were a cheap, stubborn baseline because their capital costs were already paid off. Now that zero-marginal-cost solar backed by cheap batteries is undercutting their literal fuel floors, sticking with gas isn't saving anyone money—it's what's actually going to inflate consumers' bills. This isn't a luxury tax for the environment; it's basic economics eating fossil fuels for dinner.
IRENA Report Says 24/7 Solar And Wind Power Now Cheaper Than Fossil Fuels - SolarQuarter https://solarquarter.com/2026/05/07/irena-report-says-24-7-solar-and-wind-power-now-cheaper-than-fossil-fuels/#:%7E:text=Since%202010%2C%20the%20installation%20cost,93%25%20during%20the%20same%20period