Solar now 50% cheaper than gas across Southeast Asia's grid

Southeast Asian utilities face a straightforward arbitrage: replacing planned gas infrastructure with solar could save $45.4 billion while improving grid economics. The cost crossover has already happened—solar is the default cheaper option in five major markets—which means delayed adoption reflects institutional inertia and legacy utility contracts rather than technical or financial barriers. This window matters because these countries are still building out baseload capacity; locking in gas now commits them to decades of stranded assets and higher electricity costs than their regional competitors will pay.