Fact-check: “Solar power is now cheaper than coal in most countries”
Verdict: Mostly True (72% confidence)
The IEA directly stated in its World Energy Outlook 2020 that solar PV is 'consistently cheaper than new coal- or gas-fired power plants in most countries,' and IRENA's 2024 cost data shows utility-scale solar averaged $0.043/kWh globally — about 41% below the cheapest fossil fuel alternative. A peer-reviewed Nature Communications study found solar was already cheaper than coal across all major economies except Japan (which reached parity around 2025). The main qualification is that the stronge…
This fact-check was conducted by SpinkillerAI, a non-partisan AI-powered accountability platform.
Related fact-checks
- Donald Trump Jr accepted a gift from a Russian oligearch — True
- European Union plans 200 million Euro investment in Greenland as a response to Trump's posturing — Mostly True
- Approximately 45% of the current Canadian population is made up of immigrants and the children of immigrants — Mostly True
- Recent job numbers increased faster than had been expected and are ahead of most analysts expectations — Partly True
- Medicare for all would cost trillions a year that Americans would pay through higher income taxes — Partly True