A global dataset for coal-to-renewables cost crossover analysis
by Lilly Loghmani, Haoran Fu, and Gernot Wagner
Abstract:
Renewable electricity is cheap and getting cheaper, while coal is still the single largest power source globally. Plant-level cost comparisons are difficult because coal fleets, renewable resources, technology costs, and financing conditions are reported in separate datasets with often incompatible conventions. We here combine these sources for 6,580 operating coal-fired units at 2,384 plants in 73 countries, allowing for a direct comparison of ‘coal crossover’ costs, comparing unit-level expenses of continuing to operate coal plants (OpEx) with the complete levelized cost for capital and operating expenses (CapEx and OpEx) of nearby solar and onshore wind, given local resource and financing conditions. We report least-cost technologies, break-even financing rates, and required renewable capacity and investment, in addition to four-hour lithium-ion battery storage to complement intermittent solar and wind power generation. The dataset and corresponding dashboard, available at https://coalcrossover.org, provides a common, transparent basis for studying how local resources, technology costs, and finance shape coal-to-renewable crossover estimates.
Draft: "A global dataset for coal-to-renewables cost crossover analysis" (9 September 2026); preprint available upon request.
Dashboard: coalcrossover.org [contact for password].
