Gas plants to become 10x more expensive than solar PV in Europe – Rystad

October 28, 2022
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Rystad Energy said that high gas prices, market challenges and the falling cost of renewables all indicate a shift away from gas as a main source of European electricity. Image: SolarPower Europe/Twitter

It will be 10 times more expensive to operate gas-fired power plants in Europe than to build new Solar PV capacity in the coming years, according to research by Rystad Energy.

High gas prices, market challenges and the falling cost of renewables all indicate a shift away from gas as a main source of European electricity in the medium to long-term, the research firm said.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Its research, based on a comparison of the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) of gas with solar PV and wind, suggests that even once gas prices have lowered from their recent exceptional highs, gas will struggle to remain competitive in Europe’s power landscape.

These high prices have risen from an average of €46/MWh (US$45.8/MWh) in 2021 to €134/MWh (US$134/MWh) in 2022, a 189% jump. Nonetheless, gas generation output increased 4% in the first seven months of the year, in part because of a 100TWh drop in nuclear and hydroelectric generation in 2022. The situation is not expected to improve this winter, and gas will be needed to keep the lights on into 2023.

However, next year will see the return of nuclear generation plants – notably 30GW of capacity that EDF hopes to reintroduce after being offline for maintenance – and over 50GW of solar PV and wind capacity are in the pipeline. Even with gas prices expected to stabilise and put the LCOE of existing plants around €150/MWh by 2030, new solar PV facilities will have a LCOE around a third of this, reinforcing solar’s position as the cheapest form of power generation in much of the world

“Gas will continue to play an important role in the European energy mix for some time to come, but unless something fundamental shifts, then simple economics, as well as climate concerns, will tip the balance in favour of renewables” Carlos Diaz Torres, head of power at Rystad Energy said.

European countries have been accelerating the installation of renewable energy capacity in light of the recent price rises as the market tries to adjust to the loss of Russian gas. Indeed, it’s predicted that Europe will see “significant” increases in solar PV development following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Rystad forecasts that more than 100GW of renewable capacity could be developed if the money used to maintain gas-fired power generation was repurposed, and by 2028 capacity could reach 333GW using money that would otherwise have funded gas generation. This much capacity would be enough to generate 663TWh of electricity.  These forecasts are only based upon repurposing money that would otherwise be used for gas, and build upon Rystad Energy’s base case forecast wherein over 2TW of solar and wind capacity and 520GW of utility scale batteries are installed by 2050.

Gas will still be needed to back up the intermittency of renewables generation, and until sufficient infrastructure is in place it is still vital to the European power mix, Rystad said. However, the firm said  it makes sense for European power companies to fast-track the development of renewables in the face of gas’ uncertain and costly future. Whilst the European Commission has endorsed solar manufacturing and created energy security policies, economic and market forces could move things along more quickly.

2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

October 17, 2025
Norwegian renewable energy firm Scatec has signed lease agreements for 64MW of solar PV and 10MWh of energy storage capacity in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
October 17, 2025
A group of over 20 US states are suing the Trump administration for the cancellation of the US$7 billion Solar For All Scheme.
October 16, 2025
Masdar and Turkey have entered the final stage of US$1 billion agreement to develop the 1.1GW plant in Bor, Niğde Province, central Turkey.
October 16, 2025
US utility-scale solar additions grew by 56% in 2024, reaching 30GW from 2023’s 19GW and representing over 54% of all new electricity generation capacity added in the country last year.
October 16, 2025
Jakson Green and Blueleaf Energy have reached financial close for the 840MWp Bikaner solar projects in Rajasthan, western India. 
October 16, 2025
Off-grid solar company Sun King has revealed plans to set up manufacturing operations in Kenya and Nigeria.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK