Search Climate Insights Directory

A submission by a coalition of civil society organisations—including Law for Energy Transitions Africa, Natural Justice, The Green Connection, and Project 90 by 2030—providing detailed comments on the draft South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM) Code and Rules. The submission argues that the draft framework lacks sufficient alignment with constitutional rights and climate obligations, suffers from governance conflicts of interest due to the Market Operator's link to Eskom, and lacks transparency regarding costs and contracts.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics, in partnership with the Global Offshore Wind Alliance and Ocean Conservancy, examines the potential for offshore wind and marine energy in Africa. It highlights that the continent's 30,500-kilometre coastline could support 6,750 GW of offshore wind, which could significantly exceed current power generation capacity and provide substantial economic and environmental benefits if scaled.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the transition from annual to hourly matching for accounting scope 2 emissions. It argues that hourly matching—requiring electricity consumption to be matched by renewable generation in the same hour—provides a more accurate reflection of decarbonisation and creates stronger market signals for renewable energy deployment than current annual standards. While 100% matching can be costly, the document suggests that partial matching (e.g., 80-90%) can maintain climate benefits while reducing costs. The briefing notes that the GHG Protocol is updating its Scope 2 Guidance, with a release expected in 2027, and highlights that hourly matching is already being implemented through 45 projects globally and specific regulatory frameworks like the EU's CBAM.

This report by Ember analyses electricity generation data to demonstrate that fossil fuel power has reached a structural peak and is in permanent decline across all 38 OECD member countries as of 2025. It highlights how the rapid scaling of solar and wind is displacing thermal generation, a trend that is now extending into major emerging economies like China and India.

The report argues that betting on long-term growth for metallurgical coal (met coal) is a losing strategy as demand plateaus due to China's economic shift and the rise of low-carbon steel production. It highlights the risk of stranded assets given the volume of planned mine expansions and recommends that governments accelerate the transition to green steel through subsidy reform and public procurement.

This report by Ember analyzes the vulnerability of Asian economies to energy supply and price shocks resulting from conflict in the Middle East, specifically focusing on the risks of fossil fuel lock-in. It argues that reliance on imported oil and LNG exposes the region to economic instability, inflation, and geopolitical fragmentation, and advocates for an accelerated transition to renewable energy and regional grid integration to ensure long-term energy security.

This report by the Africa Policy Research Institute analyzes the geopolitical landscape of Africa in 2025, characterized by a shift toward a multipolar world. It examines the impact of US strategic retrenchment, the first G20 summit held on the continent, tensions in the Horn of Africa, and the strategic competition over critical minerals along the Lobito Corridor.

This report by the Africa Policy Research Institute analyzes the geopolitical landscape of Africa in 2025, characterized by a shift toward a multipolar world order. It examines the impact of the second Trump administration's transactional approach to US-Africa relations, the outcomes of the first G20 summit held on the continent in South Africa, and the strategic competition over critical minerals along the Lobito Corridor. The document also details increasing instability in the Horn of Africa driven by global and regional power rivalries.

This report by Ember examines how artificial intelligence (AI) can facilitate the integration of variable renewable energy (VRE) in ASEAN power systems. 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 the region shows strong AI readiness, adoption is currently fragmented and limited to pilot projects. The report estimates that widespread AI adoption could save up to $67 billion and reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 400 million tonnes by 2035.

The Climate Bonds Initiative's Green Bond Dataset (GBD) methodology provides a science-based framework for screening labelled green bonds to determine their alignment with a low-carbon economy. By utilizing a modular ecosystem of core principles and a dynamic internal screening library, the GBD moves beyond issuer labels to provide diagnostic insights into environmental credibility, specifically targeting climate change mitigation and ecosystem protection while actively excluding activities that cause carbon lock-in.

Ember's submission to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero argues that the proposed common biomass sustainability framework fails to address the high emissions, import reliance, and costs associated with biomass power. Ember recommends limiting large-scale biomass generation, shifting to domestic sourcing, and scaling up low-carbon alternatives like wind, solar, and batteries to align with UK carbon budgets and energy independence goals.

The South African Renewable Energy Policy Scan evaluates the country's transition frameworks, finding that while legal structures enable rapid renewable energy growth, industrial localisation remains fragile and the promise of decent, stable employment is not yet realised. The report argues that a just transition requires integrating energy reform with broader industrial, labour, and municipal governance strategies to avoid 'low-carbon poverty' and reduce reliance on imported technologies.

In 2025, India curtailed 2.3 TWh of solar energy to manage grid flexibility, resulting in an estimated USD 63-76 million in compensation payments and 2.11 million tonnes of missed CO2 emission reductions. While India reached 50% non-fossil fuel capacity in 2025 with 135.8 GW of installed solar, the report warns that curtailment could become routine unless grid flexibility improves to keep pace with solar growth, which is currently outpacing demand.

The Indian States’ Electricity Transition (SET) 2026 report evaluates 21 Indian states across three dimensions: decarbonisation, power ecosystem readiness and performance, and market enablers. It finds that progress is fragmented, with no single state demonstrating consistently strong performance across all three areas, highlighting the need for coordinated, dimension-specific interventions to achieve a system-wide transition.

This industry brief by GreenCape examines the transition to electric two- and three-wheelers (E2W and E3W) for last-mile delivery in South Africa. It analyzes the economic viability, operational strategies, and environmental impacts of replacing internal combustion engine (ICE) motorcycles with electric micro-mobility solutions, highlighting the role of innovative financing and charging infrastructure in overcoming high upfront costs.

The Western Cape Market Intelligence Report 2026 identifies a total investable renewable energy (RE) opportunity of R37.4 billion across approximately 2.35 GW of new capacity by 2030. While the region faces severe grid constraints, regulatory reforms in 2025—specifically the approval of congestion curtailment and transmission build-out timelines—have created new windows for large-scale wind and solar projects, as well as behind-the-meter (BTM) installations for businesses.

The 2026 Market Intelligence Report by GreenCape outlines renewable energy (RE) investment opportunities in South Africa, identifying a potential market of R161.2 billion by 2030. The report focuses on large-scale RE projects and behind-the-meter (BTM) solutions, while detailing the transition from public procurement to a private offtake market and the structural unbundling of Eskom.

This research paper examines the strategic role of BRICS+ members, particularly African nations, in the global critical minerals market and their evolving relationships with the European Union. It analyzes how the expansion of BRICS+ enhances the bloc's control over essential resources for the green and digital transitions while highlighting internal geopolitical frictions that prevent a unified minerals strategy.

This report by Ember and Transforma analyses Colombia's declining domestic gas production and the resulting supply deficit projected to begin in 2030. It proposes a strategy to reduce gas dependency through energy efficiency in the industrial sector and the electrification of cooking and water heating in the residential sector, arguing that these measures can mitigate the projected deficit and avoid significant import costs.

South Africa's green technology transfer ecosystem is characterized by a comprehensive but fragmented policy landscape. While strategic frameworks like the National Development Plan 2030 and the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP) aim to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, a core tension exists between social equity goals—such as localisation requirements—and the urgent need for rapid decarbonisation. Successes in the energy sector via the REIPPPP contrast with significant gaps in funding and commercialisation capacity within the broader research and innovation ecosystem.