Ruth Orji
Claim: Green energy is 8 times cheaper than fossil fuel.
About 2 years ago, @BladeoftheSun made a post on his X page, captioning it “Just Stop Oil. Green energy is 8x cheaper than fossil fuels. If the Government wanted to, we could be free of them in 10 years and save money.”
https://x.com/BladeoftheS/status/1697003273343963545?t=kvvNauqbpvzQYntYK9oFsg&s=08
This post has since gathered 28,500 views; 772 likes; 288 reposts; 4 shares.
NatureNews, Africa’s foremost newspaper on climate change, which is dedicated to providing accurate insights to stop the spread of fake news particularly among users of social media, subjected the claim to fact checking.
Findings: Using the Google search tool in conducting this research, NatureFact, the fact checking unit of NatureNews, accessed a few papers and studies.
A thorough fact-checking investigation has revealed that this claim is true.
@GreenPlanet2050 gave an analysis of how fossil fuel is costing the government an arm and a leg.
@PlanetariHub reemphasizes this.
@EduNow.official stated that 81% of renewables are cheaper.
https://youtube.com/shorts/iZTs8y0r_2g?si=DeTzlZs5QTyLRaqe
@PragerU reiterates this.
@Climate200 agrees to this
https://youtube.com/shorts/zrlxW42quWk?si=3kXmI3cCz6sUYoQz
Verdict: Green energy has become increasingly cost-competitive with fossil fuels in recent years. In fact, the cost of renewable energy has decreased significantly over the past decade, making it cheaper than fossil fuels in many regions.
Solar and wind power, in particular, have experienced remarkable cost reductions. The global weighted-average levelized cost of electricity from utility-scale solar PV fell by 82% between 2010 and 2019, while onshore and offshore wind costs dropped by 39% and 29% respectively.
In many regions, building new renewable energy plants is now more cost-effective than operating existing coal or gas-fired power stations. For example, the estimated levelized cost of unsubsidized wind and solar is now lower than coal and combined-cycle gas turbines in many US states.
The shifting economics of energy have profound implications for the global transition away from fossil fuels. As renewables become more affordable, the economic case for clean energy grows stronger, driving increased investment and adoption of renewable technologies.
