2 Science claim verifications about solar energy solar energy ×
“Solar and wind power are the cheapest sources of new electricity generation in most major markets.”
Current evidence broadly supports the statement for utility-scale solar PV and onshore wind. Major recent analyses from the IEA, EIA, BloombergNEF, Wood Mackenzie, and Lazard generally find them to be the cheapest new-build options in many large markets. The key limitation is that this is mostly an LCOE comparison; full system costs and some regional gas markets can change the ranking.
“Nuclear power has a lower mortality rate per unit of electricity generated than solar energy.”
The comparative safety of nuclear versus solar energy depends on which dataset and methodology is used, and the claim presents a contested ordering as settled fact. The most widely cited compilation (Our World in Data) places solar slightly lower than nuclear in deaths per terawatt-hour (0.02 vs. 0.03), while one peer-reviewed study reverses that ordering. Crucially, Our World in Data cautions that uncertainties at these very low mortality rates likely overlap, making any definitive ranking fragile.