Solar, Wind Provide Cheapest Power for Two-Thirds of Globe

For two-thirds of the global population, it is already cheaper to get power by building a new wind or solar farm than a fossil-fuel power plant. For the rest of the world, including countries like Japan and much of southeast Asia, where coal currently has the edge, renewable plants are likely to be cheaper within the next five years, according BloombergNEF. There’s still a need for fossil-fuel plants though, if only to even out supply due to the variable nature of renewable sources.