Generating electricity from solar is 21% cheaper than from domestic coal

A report by Ember analyzing electricity generation costs in Türkiye, finding that solar energy is now the cheapest source of electricity in the country, with costs significantly lower than those of domestic coal power plants.

• Solar energy is the most affordable source of electricity generation in Türkiye as of 2025. The Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) for new solar power plants has decreased by 69% over the last ten years to $43 USD/MWh, making it 21% cheaper than existing domestic coal power plants and 15% cheaper than existing imported coal power plants.
• The average cost of generating electricity from domestic coal in Türkiye is $55 USD/MWh, which includes a $53 USD/MWh unit cost and approximately $2 USD for transport. Costs vary by plant efficiency and coal quality; the most expensive plant costs $86 USD/MWh (28% efficiency, 1,100 kcal/kg), while the cheapest costs $32 USD/MWh (42% efficiency, 2,500 kcal/kg).
• New solar installations are significantly more cost-effective than replacing aging coal infrastructure. While Türkiye's National Energy Plan (NEP) intends to add 1.7 GW of domestic coal capacity by 2030, the LCOE for a new 1.5 GW coal plant replacing an obsolete one would be approximately $90 USD/MWh, more than double the $43 USD/MWh cost of a new solar plant.
• Purchase guarantees for renewable energy under the YEKA tender model are lower than those for coal. For a tender held in early 2025 for 1.2 GW of wind and 0.8 GW of solar, the purchase price for these sources is less than half of the $75 USD/MWh provided to domestic coal power plants until 2030.
• Technological improvements and policy support have drastically reduced installation costs in Türkiye over the last decade, with solar power plant installation costs falling by 77% and wind power plant installation costs falling by 40%.

APA

Ember (2025). Generating electricity from solar is 21% cheaper than from domestic coal. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/generating-electricity-from-solar-is-21-cheaper-than-from-domestic-coal/

Chicago

Ember. Generating electricity from solar is 21% cheaper than from domestic coal. 2025. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/generating-electricity-from-solar-is-21-cheaper-than-from-domestic-coal/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Generating electricity from solar is 21% cheaper than from domestic coal |date=21 October 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/generating-electricity-from-solar-is-21-cheaper-than-from-domestic-coal/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2025generating, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Generating electricity from solar is 21\% cheaper than from domestic coal}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/generating-electricity-from-solar-is-21-cheaper-than-from-domestic-coal/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }