4-hour battery storage is cheaper to install than gas turbines all across globe
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
4-hour battery storage is now cheaper than gas turbines in all 43 modeled global markets.
Wood Mackenzie's global LCOE report finds 4-hour battery storage now cheaper than open-cycle gas turbines in all 43 modeled markets. In the Middle East and Africa, utility solar averages $37/MWh, with 4-hour storage forecast to fall 33% to $80/MWh by 2035. China's storage costs are more than 55% below the rest of Asia Pacific. Single-axis tracker solar is the lowest-cost new-build technology in 43 of 48 markets. Latin America solar LCOE expected to fall 38% by 2060. Europe solar remains cheapest, though battery capex saw a 2% rise in 2026. North America solar faces tariff pressure; storage benefits from tax credits. The shift redefines power system economics, closing the case for new gas peaking capacity.
What commenters are saying
Commenters largely agreed batteries beat gas for short peaks but debated multi-day storage. The dominant concern: batteries cannot bridge a cloudy, windless winter week, where gas remains cheaper. One commenter noted the UK lacks a realistic 100% renewable grid without gas, requiring ~4000 GWh storage vs. 40 GWh today, costing ~£1T. Another countered that overbuilding renewables cuts needed storage dramatically, citing 30 million homes with 100 kWh batteries as a £25k per home solution. A third highlighted gas turbine manufacturing backlogs of 5+ years, giving batteries a timing advantage. A split emerged: some see batteries as ideal for daily demand spikes, others as inadequate for multi-day emergencies like Texas' winter crisis.