Category: Knowledge Centre

Global Mid-Year Electricity Update: Report 

Global Mid-Year Electricity Update: Report 

Aug 21, 2026 | ,

Global power demand is on track to rise faster in 2026 and 2027 than in 2025, even as the Middle East crisis temporarily increases electricity generation costs and as emergency energy conservation measures are implemented in some regions. Major economies have so far adapted to the loss of liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies from the Strait of Hormuz while meeting rising power demand. A stronger-than-expected El Niño event in 2026 could increase global electricity demand further by raising cooling needs in many regions. Electricity generation from renewables is set to overtake coal-fired output in 2026, widening their share in the global electricity supply mix.

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US State-Level Energy Transition: Report

US State-Level Energy Transition: Report

Aug 21, 2026 | , ,

While policy changes have slowed the US energy transition, progress continues in several areas, with solar and batteries proving particularly resilient. According to the inaugural US energy transition leaderboard used in the analysis, Washington, Arizona, California, Illinois, and Oregon are leading the way to a low-carbon future. Republican states occupy 13 out of the top 20 positions, suggesting that economics is a far bigger driving force overall than politics. The clean energy transition is helping to improve grid reliability and temper price volatility, especially during extreme weather events.

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Evolution of Energy Communities in EU: Report

Evolution of Energy Communities in EU: Report

Aug 21, 2026 | , ,

The European energy transition is marked by the rapid spread of renewable energy sources, electrification of end uses, decentralisation of generation and increasing system stress driven by climate change. These transformations expose the limits of traditional, centralised electricity system architectures and require new organisational and governance models capable of coordinating distributed resources while preserving reliability, efficiency and social legitimacy. Scientific literature and recent European policy frameworks converge on the role of energy communities (ECs) as a key socioeconomic and technical innovation to address these challenges.

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Solar Supports European Grid Amid Extreme Heat: Report

Solar Supports European Grid Amid Extreme Heat: Report

Aug 14, 2026 | , ,

During June and July 2026, successive heatwaves pushed temperatures above 40°C in many parts of Europe, driving up electricity demand as air conditioning use soared, while disrupting nuclear, gas, coal and hydropower generation. The boost in solar output helped stabilise grids as other power sources struggled but this was accompanied with high prices and supply scarcity most pronounced in the evenings. As extreme heat becomes more common, governments and regulators will need to make greater use of proven solutions, including battery storage and demand response.

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Carbon Pricing in Transport Sector for Central Asia: Report 

Carbon Pricing in Transport Sector for Central Asia: Report 

Aug 14, 2026 | , ,

Transport emissions in all CAREC countries are growing significantly faster than overall GHG emissions, showing the importance of introducing effective measures to curb these emissions. The report highlights how the main measures identified by CAREC countries to reduce GHG transport emissions relate to electric mobility, low-carbon fuels, expansion and improvement of public transport services, nonmotorized transport, efficiency improvements in the transport sector, and shifting road to rail and road to shipping for both freight and passenger transport.

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Transport Electrification in New York: Brief

Transport Electrification in New York: Brief

Aug 14, 2026 | , ,

Electric utilities and their regulators around the country are working to identify grid infrastructure needs and implement upgrades in time to meet customer electrification demand. Most utilities are working within existing regulatory processes, while some utilities are working to determine new procedures capable of meeting accelerated electrification timelines. With the Proactive Planning proceeding, New York joins California as an early mover in formalizing a process to support electric grid planning. California similarly has several ongoing rulemaking proceedings tasked with preparing the electric grid for an increase in energy demands, including those specific to transportation electrification.

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Norway Critical Minerals Review: Report

Norway Critical Minerals Review: Report

Aug 7, 2026 | , ,

The analysis covers Norway’s end-to-end approach, encompassing exploration, extraction, refining, recycling and downstream integration into advanced industries. The report identifies several areas of strength in Norway’s approach. These include its substantial geological potential, its advanced innovation and recycling sectors, and its active participation in European policy frameworks. The report concludes that Norway stands at a strategic crossroads. Decisive policy action, targeted investment in innovation, and enhanced stakeholder collaboration will be critical for Norway to secure its position as a leader in sustainable critical minerals supply.

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Bridging Climate Adaptation in Indonesia, Brazil and India: Paper

Bridging Climate Adaptation in Indonesia, Brazil and India: Paper

Aug 7, 2026 | , , ,

The paper examines how the vertical integration of climate change adaptation can be strengthened, using Indonesia, Brazil and India as comparative case studies. The paper provides empirical evidence on common barriers, highlights opportunities and offers practical recommendations for policymakers, planners and development partners on how coordination across governmental levels can be enhanced. The paper highlights how large, decentralised countries such as Indonesia, Brazil and India must overcome fragmented adaptation governance and ensure vertical policy coherence across all governmental levels to facilitate more robust and effective climate adaptation actions.

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State of Fossil Fuels in Chile: Report

State of Fossil Fuels in Chile: Report

Aug 7, 2026 | , ,

The report presents a snapshot of the current landscape to support Chile’s transition toward energy security and sovereignty by shifting away from fossil fuels. Renewable energy has not replaced fossil fuels; it has grown alongside them. Despite having an electricity system that is more than 60 per cent renewable, Chile consumed 29 per cent more energy from fossil fuels in 2024 than it did in 2000. The energy system is not defossilising; it is redistributing its dependence across different fossil fuel sources. Today, Chile has neither a fossil fuel phase out strategy nor a reduction plan in its dependence on fossil fuels; instead, fossil fuel use has shifted across sectors.

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US Interconnection Status: Report

US Interconnection Status: Report

Jul 30, 2026 | , ,

The report finds that all seven grid operators have made progress over the past 18 months by adopting cluster studies, strengthening project readiness requirements, introducing automation and implementing reforms under FERC Order No. 2023 (Order 2023), which applies to all regions except Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Southwest Power Pool and the California Independent System Operator showed the strongest progress, while the Midcontinent Independent System Operator made incomplete progress. ERCOT made incremental progress, whereas PJM Interconnection, ISO-New England and the New York Independent System Operator made expected progress. The report notes that gating policies are improving queue quality by advancing more viable projects, although their overall effectiveness remains uncertain.

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Hybridisation Potential of Hydro Plants in EU: Report

Hybridisation Potential of Hydro Plants in EU: Report

Jul 30, 2026 | , ,

The report assesses the hybridisation potential of hydropower plants in seven EU countries, which together account for 93 GW of the bloc’s 131 GW of hydropower capacity. It examines how much wind and solar can be added behind the meter of existing hydro assets, bypassing grid constraints, without affecting dispatch behaviour of existing plants or impacting sites near protected areas. 25 GW of wind and solar can be added to existing hydropower plants across seven EU countries, taking into account environmental constraints. Through hybridisation, Austria, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain could integrate 18% of the new renewables anticipated by 2030.

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China Power Market Outlook: Report

China Power Market Outlook: Report

Jul 30, 2026 | , ,

Provincial power spot markets now cover nearly all provinces, with spot prices emerging as the pricing anchor for medium- to long-term power and retail markets. Mechanism pricing has been implemented nationwide, with notable disparities emerging in regional implementation plans, bidding outcomes, and settlement expenses across different regions. Capacity pricing is expanding to include more types of generation-side entities, with compensation depending on peak-serving capability. Stand-alone energy storage economics improve as capacity pricing rolls out, while market-based TOU pricing reshapes industrial and commercial storage operations.

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Building Malaysia’s Clean Power System: Report

Building Malaysia’s Clean Power System: Report

Jul 22, 2026 | , ,

Malaysia has established strong foundations for an orderly and gradual transition away from coal power, underpinned by a commitment not to build new coal power generation and a final transition date of 2044. Its policy and regulatory framework, along with its long-term goal to reach a 70% share of renewables by 2050, provide a strong basis for the country to capitalize on its natural assets and develop cheaper and more sustainable electricity generation alternatives. This transition offers profound benefits for Malaysians, including lower-cost renewable energy, less pollution and reduced exposure to fuel import costs and volatility. However, it is not without challenges. A renewables led system will need to be stabilized with additional baseload or “firm” power as coal gradually exits.

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UK Clean Flexibility Roadmap: Report

UK Clean Flexibility Roadmap: Report

Jul 22, 2026 | , ,

The report is a comprehensive and actionable plan for how to achieve the flexibility required to deliver clean power by 2030 and net zero by 2050. This roadmap shifts focus from the delivery of important but intermediate milestones to the longer-term outcomes envisioned for consumers and the wider electricity system. The report includes some of the following commitments: The government will rapidly assess the feasibility of consumers accessing government support for low carbon technologies to do so using a flexible tariff, with the option for the consumer to opt out. The government will take primary legislative powers when parliamentary time allows to enable removal of final consumption levies for demand turn up, supporting the use of consumer-led flexibility in addressing network constraints and boosting the commercial case for bidirectional electric vehicle chargers and domestic batteries.

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Decarbonising US Power Sector: Report

Decarbonising US Power Sector: Report

Jul 22, 2026 | , ,

The report assesses how much the current policy environment preserves the benefits of the prior policy environment, situates those modeled results within the real-world forces shaping delivery, and draws out what the findings imply for future policy priorities and public spending. The report further uses Energy Innovation’s Energy Policy Simulator to compare two modeled scenarios of the US power sector: a current scenario defined by the OBBBA without the Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency regulations and a prior trajectory defined by the IRA with those regulations intact. The analysis focuses on the 2025-2035 window, when the gap between the scenarios grows fastest and today’s policy decisions can most directly shape the outcome. 

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Carbon Pricing in the Philippines: Paper 

Carbon Pricing in the Philippines: Paper 

Jul 17, 2026 | , ,

The paper reviews the experiences of other governments and applies its own analysis of proposed carbon pricing and carbon market legislation filed in the Philippine House of Representatives under the 20th Congress. Specifically, this paper examines the texts of House Bills (HBs) 1817, 2055, 2481, 3685, 3820, 6407, and 6890, drawing on IISD’s technical submissions to the House Committee on Climate Change and a broader review of related bills filed before the House adjourned on 3 June 2026. The analysis considers factors that typically shape whether carbon pricing and carbon market frameworks work well in practice: whether they reduce emissions, encourage cost-effective decarbonization, remain administratively feasible, maintain support from businesses and the wider public, protect market integrity, and contribute to a just transition. 

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Unlocking Circular Economy in Europe: Report 

Unlocking Circular Economy in Europe: Report 

Jul 17, 2026 | , ,

The circular economy is expected to play a key role in strengthening Europe′s competitiveness while also helping to ensure that its environmental objectives are achieved. Applying circular economy principles could boost EU gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.5% by 2030. At the same time, the European remanufacturing market alone could grow from EUR 31 billion to EUR 100 billion by 2030. The transition is also projected to generate around 700,000 new green jobs, particularly in the repair, remanufacturing and recycling sectors; the Clean Industrial Deal estimates 500,000 new jobs in the remanufacturing sector. The report gives authoritative information on the scale of financing needed for this transition and the necessary conditions for efficient implementation and effective change.

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Impacts of Energy Policy Changes in US: Report

Impacts of Energy Policy Changes in US: Report

Jul 17, 2026 | , ,

The report examines that the US’ energy policy framework has shifted dramatically during the second Trump administration and 119th Congress. The report uses the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS) to model federal policy decisions made since January 2025 to determine what the near future holds for families and businesses in terms of energy costs, public health, job losses, and grid reliability. The report further analyses effects of policy changes on energy prices, the economy, air pollution, and healthcare spending from 2026 to 2040. The analysis highlights that households will pay an additional $650 billion for energy – an average of $460 per household in 2035 and $490 in 2040, cutting policies that drive innovation and efficiency in the transportation sector will inflate gasoline prices 14 percent in 2035 and 26 percent in 2040.

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Affordable Energy Pathways for New England: Report 

Affordable Energy Pathways for New England: Report 

Jul 10, 2026 | , ,

The report “Alternatives to New England’s Energy Affordability Crisis” published by Always on Energy Research demonstrates how a focus on deploying reliable nuclear and natural gas power plants could yield hundreds of billions of dollars in savings for New England electricity customers compared to the grid outlined in the Renewable scenario stated in their previous report. The report suggests that decarbonizing New England’s economy will not be easy or affordable. Each of the four scenarios studied will have significant inflationary impacts on electricity costs in the ISO-NE region, harming families and businesses in the region by causing their power bills to rise.

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Boosting Community Energy in the UK: Report

Boosting Community Energy in the UK: Report

Jul 10, 2026 | , ,

The report suggests that community ownership of energy resources is in danger of being left behind in the transition unless the Department takes urgent action which will have two direct consequences: areas which host large scale renewable projects see pylons but none of the profits from renewables and public support for the 2030 targets and for the renewable sector will disappear. The report further recommends the UK Government to use the Energy Independence Bill currently before Parliament to unlock community ownership as a key part of the transition and energy security of the UK.

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