IRENA Insights: Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2025

IRENA Insights: Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2025

🎙 International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) - Presenters: Deborah Iris, Lourdes Zamora, and Karan Kochhar 👥 12K 📅 October 21, 2026 ⏱ 34 min 👁 7 📄 science communication 🧭 2026-10-21
Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

renewable energylevelized cost of electricitysolar photovoltaicswind powerenergy storage

Summary

The webinar, hosted by IRENA, presents key findings from the ‘Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2025’ report. It highlights that over 690 GW of renewable capacity was added in 2025, with more than 90% of new utility-scale projects cheaper than the cheapest fossil-fuel alternative. Solar PV and wind dominate additions, and costs have declined significantly since 2010: solar LCOE fell by 89%, onshore wind by 71%, and offshore wind by 63%. The presentation covers technology-specific trends, including cost plateaus for mature renewables, the growing role of co-location (solar+storage, wind+storage), and emerging trends like floating solar and floating wind. It also discusses regional variations, the influence of China, and the importance of financing conditions. For dispatchable renewables (CSP, hydro, geothermal, bioenergy), LCOE trends are mixed due to project-specific factors. Energy storage deployment surged by 67% in 2025, with battery costs down 95% since 2010. The webinar concludes with four key messages: cost competitiveness, diversifying cost drivers, co-location benefits, and the need for broader innovation. A Q&A session addresses questions on China’s LCOE differences, hybrid project economics, and offshore wind market challenges.

180 words

Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The webinar provides valuable, up-to-date data on renewable energy costs, backed by IRENA’s authoritative dataset. The argumentation is solid, systematically presenting cost trends, regional variations, and future outlooks. The presenters effectively use global averages and ex-China comparisons to highlight market heterogeneity. The discussion on co-location and storage adds practical insights, while the Q&A clarifies technical points. Overall, the content is informative and well-argued, though it relies primarily on the report’s findings without independent critique.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The scientific rigor is high, as the webinar draws directly from IRENA’s comprehensive report, which uses transparent methodologies and extensive data. The sources cited are credible (IRENA publications and events). The title accurately reflects the content, and the presentation adheres to the report’s findings. No conflicting evidence is presented, and the information is consistent with the report’s conclusions.

147 words

Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the content, as the webinar presents key findings from the IRENA report on renewable power generation costs in 2025.

Quality & Reliability

8/10

The webinar is based on IRENA's flagship cost report, a reputable intergovernmental organization with established methodology. The data presented is detailed and consistent with the report, though the format is a summary and lacks full peer review.

Key Moments

Cited Sources

  • IRENA Insights series — Mentioned as the series hosting this webinar, providing additional webinars and resources.
  • Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2025 (full report) — The primary source of the findings presented, with downloadable data and detailed analysis.

Contribution & Novelties

The webinar presents the latest cost data from IRENA’s 2025 report, offering updated insights on renewable cost trends, particularly the slowdown in mature technologies and the rise of co-location. It introduces new elements like the ex-China global average and cost breakdowns for storage. The presentation emphasizes the shift from technology cost alone to financing, supply chains, and market design. For deeper exploration, the following concepts and references are pertinent:

Pour aller plus loin :

129 words

Radar Profile

The radar profile shows high scores in information quantity, quality, and reliability, with slightly lower technical depth. This indicates a well-rounded, accessible overview of renewable cost data, suitable for a broad audience while maintaining credibility from IRENA's research.

Reliability 8/10