Why Clean Energy Is Cheap Energy

Provided by: The Climate Reality Project |Published on: January 27, 2026

Articles/Websites

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Synopsis

In this article from The Climate Reality Project, students will learn why clean energy sources such as wind and solar are now among the cheapest options for producing electricity in the United States.
Students examine evidence showing how clean energy compares to fossil fuels in terms of cost, reliability, and long-term economic impact.

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Subjects: Economics

Authors: The Climate Reality Project

Region: United States

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

This article is brief and emphasizes the clear financial benefits of building more solar and wind power plants instead of fossil fuel plants.
The Key Takeaways section does a great job of helping students see the main ideas of the article right away.

Prerequisites

Students would benefit from understanding how using fossil fuels for electricity impacts the climate, increases air pollution and water pollution, and increases the dangers associated with mining and transporting the toxic and flammable products to the plants.

Differentiation & Implementation

Language arts teachers can use the Key Takeaways section to structure an activity to practice identifying supporting details and connecting them to main ideas. Students can highlight or underline each of the key takeaways in a different color. Then, as students read, they can identify details and evidence that support the key takeaways and highlight these in a corresponding color.
Economics or civics teachers can use this article to illustrate how economic incentives may influence policy, and why subsidies from state and federal governments can affect power plant development.
Teachers can use this article to make connections to the Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on SDG 7, Affordable and Clean Energy.

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About the Partner Provider

The Climate Reality Project

Climate Reality Project seeks to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every sector of society. They recruit, train, and mobilize people to become powerful activists, providing the skills, campaigns, and resources to push for aggressive climate action and high-level policies that accelerate a just transition to clean energy.

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All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.