The cost of running existing coal power plants in the United States continues rising while new wind and solar costs keep falling. Our first Coal Cost Crossover report (2019) found 62 percent of U.S. coal capacity was more expensive to run than to replace with renewables, while our second (2021) found 72 percent of capacity more expensive than renewables. Our latest Coal Cost Crossover research finds incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act accelerate this trend – 99 percent of all U.S. coal plants (209 out of 210) are now more expensive to run than replacement by new local solar, wind, or energy storage.
Resources
Coal Cost Crossover 3.0 Report
This report finds 99 percent of the existing U.S. coal fleet is more expensive to run compared to replacement by new solar or wind. Replacing coal plants with local wind and solar would also save enough to finance nearly 150 gigawatts of four-hour battery storage, over 60 percent of the coal fleet’s capacity, and generate $589 billion in new investment across the U.S. Our report provides policy recommendations to facilitate a just transition through the Coal Cost Crossover.
Coal Cost Crossover 3.0 Interactive Visual Feature
This data explorer empowers visual exploration of Coal Cost Crossover 3.0 report findings. Users can view a visual case study, interactive maps detailing the economics of coal plants compared to new solar or wind resources, as well as potential cost savings and investment opportunities.
Coal Cost Crossover 3.0 Dataset
This dataset provides 2021 plant-by-plant going-forward costs for all existing U.S. coal-fired power plants, 2021 LCOE data for building new wind, solar, and storage projects, as well as the storage capacity that replacement savings could finance.