Five Climate Truths Donald Trump Doesn’t Understand Megawatt-hours of electricity production, by energy source Source: U. S. Energy Information Administration Megawatt-hours of electricity production, by energy source The worldwide average cost of wind and solar power has fallen sharply over the last three years, according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency. Source: International Energy Association In some countries like India, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Chile, auction prices for renewable energy have fallen so much that they are “comparable or lower than generation cost of newly built gas and coal power plants,” according to the agency, which researches the energy sector for 29 member countries, including the United States. Source: Analysis based on IRENA; International Energy Association In the United States, developers of new wind farms signed contracts to sell power at around $20 per megawatt-hour last year, down from about $61 per megawatt-hour in 2010, according to a recent report by the Energy Department. While these sources of energy make up a small portion of the overall system — for example, about 15 percent of electricity generated in the United States last year and 24 percent generated worldwide — they are growing fast: Two-thirds of generation capacity added globally last year came from renewable sources.
