The levelized cost of electricity for solar PV is already competitive now compared to all generation sources (including fossil fuels) and is expected to decline further in the coming decades, falling within the range of USD 0.02 and 0.08/kWh by 2030 and USD 0.014 0.05/kWh. Box 4.
Power generation from solar PV increased by a record 270 TWh in 2022, up by 26% on 2021. Solar PV accounted for 4.5% of total global electricity generation, and it remains the third largest renewable electricity technology behind hydropower and wind.
Solar PV is emerging as one of the most competitive sources of new power generation capacity after a decade of dramatic cost declines. A decline of 74% in total installed costs was observed between 2010 and 2018 (Figure 10).
In the REmap analysis 100% electricity access is foreseen by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, and solar PV would be the major contributor to this achievement. costs are expected to reduce further, outpacing fossil fuels by 2020 (IRENA, 2019f).
Since the early 2000s, the total cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has consistently sunk below expert expectations, mostly due to hardware improvements.
Between 2022 and 2023, utility-scale solar PV projects showed the most significant decrease (by 12%). For newly commissioned onshore wind projects, the global weighted average LCOE fell by 3% year-on-year; whilst for offshore wind, the cost of electricity of new projects decreased by 7% compared to 2022.