Search Climate Insights Directory

The EU battery fleet is projected to grow fourfold from 37 GW in 2025 to 178 GW by 2030, significantly reducing the need for gas-based backup. By 2030, utility-scale batteries could provide short-term flexibility at 20% lower cost than new gas peakers. Additionally, the report highlights the role of demand flexibility: by 2030, 50% of electric vehicles (EVs) could use smart charging to absorb 7% of peak wind and solar generation, and 15% of heat pump demand could be shifted to high-renewable periods, reducing peak demand by 3%. The report recommends that policymakers avoid overbuilding gas capacity, set ambitious non-fossil flexibility targets by January 2027, and accelerate smart meter rollout to enable these technologies.

The document provides a collection of infographics focused on the electrification of industrial heat in India. It argues that smart policies can leverage inexpensive solar energy to make electric heat cheaper than most fossil fuel alternatives, thereby reducing both manufacturing costs and air pollution.

The report advocates for a "twin-track" diversification of India's clean cooking energy to address the affordability, delivery, and price volatility issues associated with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and piped natural gas (PNG). It proposes scaling electric cooking (e-cooking) in urban and peri-urban areas and biogas in rural areas. The analysis suggests that e-cooking could halve LPG demand by 2050 and save over INR 2 trillion in subsidies, while rural biogas adoption depends on reducing high upfront costs and improving local maintenance ecosystems.

Connecticut is experiencing accelerating climate risks, including more frequent extreme precipitation, rising sea levels, and increasing temperatures. The report details specific historical damages, such as a $300 million storm in August 2024 and $21 million in agricultural losses in July 2023. It projects significant future costs, including $5.3 billion for seawalls by 2040 and a 400% increase in days over 90 in Connecticut by 2050. The document provides comprehensive lists of potential adaptation costs across infrastructure, public health, and individual expenses to mitigate these hazards.

As of October 2025, the all-in capex for large, long-duration utility-scale BESS projects outside China and the US is approximately $125/kWh, resulting in a Levelised Cost of Storage (LCOS) of $65/MWh. This cost reduction is driven by cheaper Chinese-manufactured equipment, longer battery lifetimes, and improved efficiencies. Consequently, dispatchable solar—storing 50% of daily generation—is estimated to cost $76/MWh, making it a highly competitive option for meeting global energy demand growth.

The report argues that the UK risks spending billions in public funds on unproven carbon removal technologies, such as power-BECCS and DACCS, which face significant delays and high costs. It highlights that a single project at Drax biomass power station could require £30 billion in subsidies, exceeding the entire national carbon capture and storage budget. The analysis notes that no commercial-scale project has yet begun construction or captured carbon, and warns that power-BECCS may not deliver genuine removals due to feedstock and supply chain emissions. The author recommends prioritising proven decarbonisation methods like renewables and heat pumps over these high-risk technologies.

The report argues that as India expands solar and wind capacity, coal's role will shift from baseload provider to a flexible balancing resource, leading to lower plant load factors (PLFs) and higher effective costs. By FY 2031-32, coal-based electricity is projected to be roughly 25% costlier than in FY 2024-25. The analysis suggests that the ~35 GW of coal capacity currently under construction is sufficient for reliability, making further coal expansion uneconomical compared to firm and dispatchable renewable energy (FDRE) and storage options.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) reports that utilities in seven PJM states passed over $4.3 billion in data center connection costs to all customers in 2024. This occurs because large data centers (100–1,000 MW) require high-voltage transmission infrastructure, which falls under federal FERC jurisdiction and is typically allocated across all customers, unlike low-voltage distribution connections. UCS finds that in 95% of cases, these costs are not paid by the data center owners. The brief recommends that FERC and state PUCs require utilities to track and assign these specific costs to the customers causing them.

US utilities face a projected 270 GW power gap due to rising demand from AI and electrification and the retirement of coal plants. While utilities are increasingly relying on gas-fired capacity, major turbine manufacturers (GE Vernova, Siemens Energy, and Mitsubishi Power) report delivery timelines extending to 2028-2030 and record backlogs. This supply crunch, combined with rising procurement costs—exemplified by a $900 million cost increase for Duke Indiana's Cayuga plant—creates reliability risks. The report suggests alternatives such as energy efficiency, virtual power plants, grid-enhancing technologies, and clean repowering to meet near-term load growth.

Wind energy growth in Europe has been hindered by inflation, supply chain issues, and permitting delays, but is now showing signs of recovery through increased turbine orders and auction volumes. While onshore costs plateaued or rose slightly since 2021, offshore wind continues to see cost declines, and both remain cheaper than fossil gas generation. Despite this, a delivery gap remains between current forecasts and the 2030 EU targets, requiring further policy implementation and grid reforms.

The report examines the integration of nature-based solutions (NbS) in Swedish municipal stormwater management. It finds that while NbS principles are embedded in most municipal steering documents, the specific term 'nature-based solutions' is rarely used. There is a significant lack of standardized cost data, particularly for operations and maintenance (O&M). While co-benefits like flood risk control and water quality are widely recognized, others such as the heat island effect and carbon sequestration are underrepresented. The report highlights complexities in the division of responsibilities between municipal departments and private landowners and notes that current regulatory frameworks often fail to fully account for the multiple co-benefits of NbS.

The report details how Los Angeles County is affected by severe storms, rising sea levels, temperature extremes, and extreme drought. It highlights that flood risk threatens 27% of buildings in the city of Los Angeles and that the county spent 64% of the last 23 years in drought. The document provides extensive lists of potential costs, including infrastructure projects like seawalls, energy efficiency retrofits, and water treatment updates, while noting that disadvantaged populations are disproportionately exposed to flood risks.

The report details how climate change is accelerating in Nevada, leading to increased drought, extreme heat, and erratic precipitation. It outlines the resulting economic burdens, including the costs of wildfire suppression, water conservation efforts to protect Lake Mead, and the need for infrastructure upgrades to mitigate flooding and heat-related health risks.

The report details how climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather in New Hampshire, leading to significant infrastructure damage and economic losses. It highlights a 12% increase in annual precipitation since 1901, a 2°F rise in average annual temperature since 1971, and a 7-inch rise in sea level since 1950. The document outlines necessary adaptation costs across public health, infrastructure, and local planning to mitigate risks to the state's winter recreation industry, coastal properties, and public school systems.

The report details how Hawaii is experiencing accelerating climate crises, specifically through extreme drought, intense tropical storms, sea level rise, and increasing temperatures. It provides comprehensive lists of potential costs for mitigation and adaptation, ranging from water management and wildfire suppression to floodproofing infrastructure and public health interventions.

The report details the environmental and economic risks Maine faces due to climate change, including sea level rise, extreme precipitation, drought, and rising temperatures. It quantifies risks such as the potential inundation of 3,700 homes and the threat to a $600 million fishing industry, while providing comprehensive lists of necessary infrastructure and policy adaptations to mitigate these costs.

The report evaluates solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) technology, highlighting its superior electrical efficiency when integrated with external heat sources, such as those found in steel, chemical, and nuclear plants. While the technology is more mature than often perceived—leveraging experience from the gigawatt-scale solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) industry—it faces challenges regarding stack durability due to high-temperature thermal stress and the need to scale from small modules to hundred-megawatt systems. The report finds that raw material supply chains are not a bottleneck and that gigawatt-scale manufacturing is feasible within 18 to 36 months.

India's solar energy is entering an "accelerating growth" phase, with solar and wind projected to meet 66% of power generation growth by FY 2032. While daytime peak demand is increasingly aligned with solar generation, significant challenges remain in managing non-solar hour demand. The report emphasizes that achieving NEP14 targets requires a 36% annual increase in solar capacity additions and a substantial build-out of battery and pumped hydro storage to ensure grid stability and avoid reliance on new coal capacity.

The report finds that importing large quantities of low-carbon hydrogen to Europe is expensive and energy-inefficient due to hydrogen's low volumetric energy density. Pipeline transport is consistently more cost-effective than maritime shipping, with Norway and Algeria identified as the most competitive pipeline sources. Among maritime options, ammonia is the lowest-cost carrier, with the Arabian Gulf being the most economical exporter. The analysis suggests that importing LNG to produce hydrogen at the point of import may be more feasible than long-distance hydrogen transport. CATF recommends that the European Commission re-examine its 2030 target of 20 million tonnes of clean hydrogen per year, as it may lack a clear basis.

Leasing an electric vehicle is currently the most affordable option for new car buyers in the United States, offering potential savings of up to $500 per month and $6,000 per year compared to gasoline-powered alternatives.