Power sector decarbonisation depends on data transparency

The research evaluates power sector data transparency in 39 Asian economies, finding that over half have insufficient or poor data, which hinders the monitoring of clean power targets and grid optimisation. While higher-income economies generally perform better, countries like India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are noted for leading improvements. The report provides nine recommendations for enhancing data governance, emphasizing the need for machine-readable, licence-free, and centrally located data to accelerate the transition from coal to clean electricity.

• Data transparency is inadequate in the majority of the assessed Asian economies, with 24 out of 39 scoring as insufficient or poor. This lack of transparency means there is little to no data regarding whether the electricity needs of 684 million people are being met by fossil fuels or clean energy.
• While higher income economies typically have better data transparency, some lower-middle income economies, specifically India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, have outperformed certain upper middle income economies.
• The report identifies Australia, New Zealand, and India as economies demonstrating good practice across six rating criteria: publishing lag, geographical granularity, fuel breakdown, temporal granularity, additional data, and ease of access.
• A case study on India's collaboration with the Vasudha Foundation highlights that improving data transparency requires the standardisation of nomenclatures, methodology, granularity, data formats, and metrics.
• To improve data transparency and accelerate decarbonisation, the report recommends making data licence-free, using machine-readable formats in a central location, digitising archival materials for bulk access, and using unique identifiers.

APA

Ember (2024). Power sector decarbonisation depends on data transparency. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/conclusion-and-further-recommendations/

Chicago

Ember. Power sector decarbonisation depends on data transparency. 2024. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/conclusion-and-further-recommendations/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Power sector decarbonisation depends on data transparency |date=1 October 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/conclusion-and-further-recommendations/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2024power, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Power sector decarbonisation depends on data transparency}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/conclusion-and-further-recommendations/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }