How 24/7 Renewables Are Ending Fossil Fuel Reliability

BusinessEnergyHow 24/7 Renewables Are Ending Fossil Fuel ReliabilityByKen Silverstein,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Ken Silverstein analyzes the Energy Transition, AI and GeopoliticsFollow AuthorMay 20, 2026, 09:00am EDT02 February 2022, Brandenburg, Potsdam: A photovoltaic tenant power system with 588 modules covering an area of 1055 square meters provide annual production of 200,000 kWh. Photo: Jens Kalaene/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB (Photo by Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images)dpa/picture alliance via Getty ImagesFor decades, fossil fuels held one decisive advantage over renewable energy: reliability. Solar panels stop producing after sunset, and wind turbines slow down on calm days. Modern economies, critics argued, cannot run on intermittent power. But that assumption is breaking down faster than expected.The International Renewable Energy Agency says the economics of energy systems are undergoing a structural shift. In a new analysis, IRENA concludes that solar and wind power paired with battery storage can now deliver round-the-clock electricity at costs competitive with—and, in many regions, lower than—those of coal and natural gas.“No one can talk anymore about whether renewables are economically viable or reliable,” IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera told me. “The transition is happening and will happen with or without the naysayers.”La Camera’s argument rests on a more fundamental shift than cost curves alone.For the first time, IRENA has developed a globally comparable benchmark for round-the-clock renewable power: the Firm Levelized Cost of Electricity. It enables direct comparisons between renewable systems and fossil generation under equivalent reliability conditions.The results are clear: in high-quality solar and wind regions, renewable systems are already cost-competitive with fossil fuels. Specifically:Firm solar-plus-storage systems range from $54 to $82 per megawatt-hour.Firm...