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The report examines the impact of New York's CLCPA greenhouse gas accounting method, which differs from the UNFCCC standard. It finds that the CLCPA approach increases the distance to statutory targets and alters cost-effective abatement strategies, though substantial reductions remain necessary regardless of the method used. The authors argue that marginal abatement cost data for different gases and sectors is essential for evaluating the 2025 New York State Energy Plan.

The document examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in overcoming the technical challenges of integrating variable renewable energy (VRE) in Southeast Asia. It highlights five commercially proven AI applications: improving forecast accuracy to reduce reserve needs, enabling predictive maintenance to extend asset life, optimising dispatch to lower balancing costs, providing real-time control for grid security, and supporting dynamic line rating (DLR) to increase transmission capacity. The report provides global case studies—including examples from Google DeepMind, Siemens, and various utilities in the US, UK, and Belgium—to demonstrate how AI can reduce operational costs, curtailment, and carbon footprints while enhancing the reliability of power grids facing high VRE penetration.

The report argues that AI can significantly accelerate the energy transition in ASEAN by managing the complexity of rising variable renewable energy (VRE) shares. It identifies five key AI applications—forecasting, predictive maintenance, dispatch optimisation, real-time control, and dynamic line rating—that can reduce operational costs and emissions. While ASEAN shows strong digital readiness, current AI adoption is fragmented and pilot-based. The report estimates that widespread AI adoption could save up to $67 billion and reduce nearly 400 million tonnes of CO2 by 2035, provided that regulatory, data, and cybersecurity challenges are addressed.

A technical assessment of 25 BiCRS protocols reveals that only 28% are satisfactory, with 72% scoring below satisfactory. The report identifies critical flaws in greenhouse gas accounting, particularly regarding system boundaries, biomass production emissions, and the treatment of uncertainty. It recommends adopting comprehensive system boundaries, standardizing the treatment of biomass baselines, and implementing robust measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV) to protect market and climate integrity.

The document highlights the role of China's industrial parks as critical drivers of the energy transition, noting that they host 80 percent of industrial enterprises and consume about one-third of national energy. It discusses the emergence of zero-carbon industrial parks as a means to accelerate clean-energy deployment and industrial upgrading. Additionally, it notes China's expansion of sustainable industrial parks internationally, particularly in Asia and Africa, as a vehicle for international cooperation and the deployment of low-carbon technologies.

Ember's response to India's draft National Electricity Policy 2026 argues for a shift from sequential to co-optimised generation and transmission planning to resolve bottlenecks and stranded assets. The brief recommends deploying grid-enhancing technologies to manage the rise of inverter-based resources, unbundling state transmission utilities to increase private sector participation, and reforming DISCOM procurement to avoid over-reliance on long-term coal contracts. It also calls for a robust data-sharing and cybersecurity framework to manage the increasing volume of electricity data from distributed energy resources.

China is repositioning its coal fleet to provide system flexibility, with the entire existing fleet on track to be retrofitted by 2027. While technical capacity is increasing, the report argues that full flexibility is constrained by power market design and dispatch practices. It emphasizes that as coal retrofit potential plateaus, the rapid scale-up of clean flexibility, particularly battery energy storage, is essential to avoid locking in emissions beyond 2030 and to maintain grid stability as renewables become dominant.

China is repositioning its coal fleet to serve as a regulatory and security resource to manage the variability of its growing renewable energy sector. This transition is driven by a critical need for short-term flexibility, with the IEA estimating that these needs will be three times higher in 2030 than in 2022. To achieve this, the Chinese government has implemented a series of Five-Year Plans and policies, including a target to retrofit "above 200 GW" of coal capacity for flexibility between 2021 and 2025. Technical efforts focus on lowering minimum loads (ML) to 25-40% of rated capacity and decoupling heat and electricity generation in combined heat and power (CHP) units. Financial mechanisms supporting this shift include a coal capacity pricing mechanism introduced in 2024 and the use of infrastructure real estate investment trusts (REITs) for eligible plants.

China is shifting its power system flexibility from coal retrofits to clean alternatives like battery energy storage. While coal retrofits are nearing exhaustion by 2027, the document argues that market reforms and updated dispatch practices are essential to prevent a reliance on new coal capacity and to meet 2030 emission goals.

China has rapidly expanded its flexible coal power capacity, exceeding its 2025 national target and positioning itself to meet a 2027 goal of retrofitting 500-700 GW. By the end of 2024, total flexible coal capacity exceeded 600 GW, with significant progress in provinces like Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Xinjiang. While coal utilisation is generally declining and showing greater seasonal variability due to renewable growth and demand peaks, the document notes that the full potential of this technical flexibility is not yet reflected in system operations due to market design and institutional arrangements. The transition is supported by a capacity pricing mechanism and diversified revenue models, though flexible operation increases costs through higher maintenance, reduced fuel efficiency at low loads, and accelerated depreciation.

The document argues that biological threats can rapidly degrade military readiness, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. It evaluates three types of respiratory PPE—Filtering Facepiece Respirators (FFRs), Elastomeric Half-Mask Respirators (EHMRs), and Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPRs)—based on protection, source control, wearability, and logistics. The author recommends a tiered approach: government-managed stockpiles of EHMRs for baseline protection, vendor-managed inventories of FFRs for high-volume use, and investment in flexible surge manufacturing capacity.

The report challenges the narrative of fossil gas as a necessary transition fuel for grid flexibility. It distinguishes between Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGT), which are agile but inefficient, and Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGT), which are efficient for baseload power but suffer from premature aging, higher emissions, and reduced profitability when used for peak demand. The author highlights that CCGT viability often relies on costly government capacity mechanisms funded by consumers. Furthermore, a global shortage of gas turbines is delaying projects and increasing costs. The document advocates for replacing gas with sustainable flexibility solutions, including battery storage, pumped hydro, demand-side response, and improved interconnections, urging financial institutions to cease funding new gas power projects.

The report challenges the narrative of fossil gas as a necessary 'bridge fuel' for grid flexibility. It argues that Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGTs), which dominate new developments, are designed for baseload rather than peakload, and using them for flexibility reduces their lifespan and increases emissions. The document highlights that gas plant profitability is often maintained through costly consumer-funded capacity mechanisms and notes a critical global shortage of gas turbines. It concludes that sustainable alternatives—such as battery storage, pumped hydro, demand-side response, and grid enhancements—provide more efficient and cheaper flexibility, urging financial institutions to cease support for new gas projects.

India needs to build system flexibility to absorb high and variable renewable generation, moving beyond simple capacity additions. The report identifies three primary levers: improving the flexibility of the coal fleet by lowering minimum technical limits, scaling energy storage (BESS and pumped hydro), and accelerating demand-side flexibility through smart meter deployment and attractive time-of-day tariffs.

In 2025, India experienced significant solar curtailment, estimated at 2.3 TWh between late May and December, primarily due to the inability of the coal fleet to ramp down sufficiently during periods of low daytime demand. This was exacerbated by weaker-than-forecast demand growth in 2025, driven by mild temperatures and increased behind-the-meter solar generation. The report highlights that while operational errors in forecasting contributed to the issue, the structural lack of flexibility in coal plants—many of which must operate above a minimum thermal load of 55%—creates a systemic challenge as solar capacity continues to grow faster than demand.

The document advocates for demand-side flexibility in Canada to manage increasing electricity demand from electrification and AI data centers. It highlights that relying solely on new production capacity is costly and inefficient. By using tools like smart thermostats, EV charging management, and virtual power plants, the grid can reduce peak loads (peak shaving) or shift consumption to off-peak hours (load shifting). This approach benefits utilities by delaying infrastructure upgrades and benefits consumers through lower bills. The text cites successful pilot programs in Quebec, British Columbia, and Ontario, while urging federal and provincial governments to integrate demand flexibility into clean energy policies and regulations.

The report argues that flexible demand—the ability to shift or reduce electricity use during peak periods—can significantly lower system costs and defer expensive infrastructure upgrades in Canada. While some provinces like Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia are implementing demand-side management (DSM) programs, the report finds that these resources remain under-deployed due to outdated regulatory frameworks, misaligned financial incentives for utilities and consumers, and a tendency for planners to treat DSM as a passive load reduction rather than an active grid resource.

The report outlines a transition from diesel generators to clean mobile power—specifically solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and hydrogen power units (HPUs)—for film and TV productions. It identifies systemic barriers including high capital costs, fragmented demand signals, and regulatory gaps, while proposing a coordinated strategy of aggregated demand, joint procurement, and efficiency measures to scale adoption.

Colombia faces a projected gas supply deficit from 2030 onwards as domestic production declines. The report argues that the country can mitigate this risk and avoid costly imports by implementing energy efficiency in industry and electrifying cooking and water heating in the residential sector. It recommends a planned, just transition that includes a national appliance replacement programme, the reorientation of subsidies, and the limitation of new fossil fuel infrastructure to avoid carbon lock-in.

Colombia faces a projected gas supply deficit starting in 2030, as national production declines and import capacity becomes insufficient. The report argues that this vulnerability can be mitigated by reducing demand through a 14% increase in industrial energy efficiency and the electrification of residential cooking and water heating. Specifically, replacing 10% of gas stoves and 30% of water heaters with electric alternatives could significantly lower demand. The authors recommend a planned, just transition that includes reorienting subsidies toward electrification, implementing a national equipment replacement program, and avoiding long-term fossil fuel lock-ins like fracking.