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The Canadian Climate Institute proposes a Canada Electrification Progress Fund (CEPF) to decouple the immediate costs of grid expansion from consumer electricity bills. By providing federal government-guaranteed funding to cover the gap between current revenues and the costs of new infrastructure, the fund aims to prevent price spikes that could discourage electrification. The proposal suggests that the federal government is best positioned to absorb the risk of demand uncertainty and that the fund would be repaid over several decades as the expanded customer base increases revenues. The CEPF would complement the Canada Infrastructure Bank by managing network-scale financial risk and timing of cost recovery rather than project-specific financing.

The report examines the financial and operational crisis facing South African municipal electricity distribution, characterized by rising bulk costs from Eskom and a massive infrastructure maintenance backlog. It proposes that municipalities leverage the growing amount of behind-the-meter rooftop solar PV—estimated at 3,495 MWp as of December 2024—to reduce reliance on expensive bulk purchases. By purchasing curtailed excess power and deploying leased BESS for peak demand arbitrage, municipalities could significantly increase operating surpluses to fund infrastructure renewal. The report specifically analyzes the City of Johannesburg, arguing that rooftop solar is not the primary cause of its revenue decline—which is instead driven by high technical and non-technical losses—and warns that punitive policies toward solar owners may accelerate grid defection.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) guide outlines four policy priorities for the August 2026 congressional recess: supporting the Scientific Integrity Act, funding climate-disaster agencies (NOAA and FEMA), opposing legal immunity for fossil fuel companies via the Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026, and addressing the energy affordability crisis. It provides tactical instructions for delivering petitions, using social media, and questioning representatives at town halls to counter perceived attacks on science by the Trump administration.

The document details the lived experience of Melissa Fisher, a resident of Elizabeth Vale, South Australia, who suffers from Hidradenitis Suppurativa. She describes how worsening heatwaves, combined with inadequate public housing and financial hardship, create life-threatening conditions. Fisher highlights a January 2026 heatwave where indoor temperatures remained at 35 degrees Celsius at 2am, leading to respiratory distress. She advocates for government responsibility to protect vulnerable populations through the Hard Truths human rights case.

The document analyzes four case studies of 'electrification-friendly' electric rates in Massachusetts, Minnesota, Maine, and Maryland. It finds that rates specifically designed for heat pump users or those with significant seasonal differentiation provide the greatest bill savings. The analysis emphasizes that automatic enrollment strategies are more effective at reaching customers than optional opt-in rates.

The report proposes a tripartite contracting model for Europe, where a state-backed intermediary connects clean energy suppliers and industrial consumers. This mechanism aims to solve structural barriers in bilateral Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), such as creditworthiness requirements for SMEs and the mismatch between variable renewable generation and industrial baseload demand. By pooling diverse technologies—including renewables, storage, and clean firm capacity—the intermediary can offer 24/7 clean power products and absorb counterparty risk. The document outlines an implementation roadmap involving the European Commission and Member States, emphasizing the need for harmonized Guarantees of Origin, improved two-sided Contracts for Difference (CfDs) design, and integrated grid planning.

An analysis of 76 election leaflets and several party manifestos from the 2026 local and devolved elections in the UK reveals that explicit mentions of 'climate' were very low, particularly in local leaflets. While manifestos from parties like the SNP and Scottish Greens used climate terminology more frequently, most political communication shifted toward 'climate-adjacent' issues. These include energy affordability, fairness framings regarding the energy transition, and hyper-local concerns such as flooding, transport, and the preservation of green spaces. The report notes a breakdown in cross-party consensus on net zero, evidenced by its absence in the Welsh Conservatives' manifesto and anti-renewable messaging from Reform UK.

As of March 31, 2026, the GCF has total pledged amounts of USD 30.0 billion, with USD 24.0 billion in committed funding. The Fund's accredited entity network has grown to 168 entities, with a strong emphasis on Direct Access Entities (DAEs). The portfolio shows a shift toward adaptation, which now represents 59% of funding in grant equivalent terms. The GCF is managing a pipeline of 139 concept notes and 51 funding proposals. However, several projects face implementation challenges, including the Mali solar rural electrification project, which is awaiting formal termination following the government's decision to cancel co-financing.

An analysis of 393 environmental and energy bills introduced in the first quarter of 2026 reveals that 45% were bipartisan. Bipartisan bills showed a higher rate of legislative advancement (22%) compared to non-bipartisan bills (15%). The highest level of consensus was found in oceans and biodiversity, where approximately 67% of bills were bipartisan. Other areas of strong cooperation include disaster management, wildfires, and permitting reform. The report notes that successful bipartisan legislation often focuses on concrete economic impacts or specific, narrow scopes and typically avoids using the terminology of climate change. In contrast, energy bills were less bipartisan, with Republicans focusing on deregulation and Democrats on clean energy tax credits, although specific technologies like geothermal, hydropower, nuclear, and waste-to-energy maintain bipartisan support.

The report argues that renewable energy infrastructure for mining can serve as 'horizontal linkage' to provide energy access and economic benefits to surrounding communities. It recommends that governments integrate these investments into local content policies and plan for long-term resilience through skills development, inclusive training, and mine closure planning to ensure benefits persist beyond the life of the mine.

The report argues that reliance on fossil fuels creates unstable government revenues, locks countries into outdated infrastructure, and exposes them to stranded asset risks as global energy systems shift. It categorizes African economies into export-dominant, import-dependent, and dual-role types, noting that no single transition pathway fits all. To mitigate these risks, the document advocates for diversification into manufacturing, agro-processing, digital services, and the domestic processing of transition minerals. It outlines a phased transition timeline from 2026 to beyond 2045, emphasizing that domestic governance reforms must be supported by international cooperation to reduce the 'African premium' on borrowing costs and improve technology access.

The report argues that India's rural electrification must shift from simple access to improving reliability and quality through distributed renewable energy (DRE). While centralized projects are essential for national targets, DRE can address last-mile constraints. The authors develop a 'Model DRE Village Framework' that uses load typologies—such as agriculture-dominant versus residential-dominant—to determine system sizing, storage needs, and grid integration. Through techno-economic modelling in Hiware Bazar (Maharashtra) and Bamun Sualkuchi (Assam), the study demonstrates that solarization is generally cost-competitive compared to average power purchase costs (APPC), though battery energy storage systems (BESS) require careful sizing to remain affordable. The framework emphasizes a co-implementation model where distribution companies (DISCOMs) lead technical planning and ownership, while Gram Panchayats manage community governance and onboarding.

The report argues that while mining companies are increasingly adopting renewable energy for operational decarbonization, these investments should be leveraged through policy to benefit host communities. It provides a framework for integrating renewable energy into local content policies, emphasizing shared infrastructure, skills development, and long-term planning for post-closure transitions to ensure sustainable local development.

The report analyzes Lesotho's development prospects up to 2043. Under the Current Path, GDP is projected to grow to US$7.6 billion, but poverty and food insecurity remain endemic. The report evaluates 11 sectoral scenarios, finding that the 'Free Trade' scenario offers the highest per capita income boost, while the 'Combined Agenda 2063' scenario could raise GDP per capita to US$7,375 and significantly reduce poverty to 27.7%. Energy access is identified as a critical constraint, with the 'Leapfrogging' and 'Infrastructure' scenarios proposing significant increases in electricity access through renewables and grid investment.

At the 2026 African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meetings, Recourse is calling for a shift in development finance to prioritise equitable renewable energy access and a just transition across Africa. The organisation demands a dedicated financing window for decentralised renewable energy (DRE), targeting at least 30% of energy access financing by 2027, and urges the Bank to halt all LNG and fossil gas financing. Recourse also advocates for grant-based and concessional public finance to prevent increasing debt distress and calls for stronger protections for communities affected by energy and extractive projects.

The US electric grid faces severe supply chain constraints, with lead times for large power transformers reaching up to four years and prices for power line cables doubling since 2019. Domestic production is insufficient, meeting only 20% of demand for large power transformers in 2025. To address this, the document proposes a three-pronged federal strategy: easing near-term bottlenecks through allied partnerships and production ramps; expanding domestic capacity via manufacturing tax credits and low-cost scaling capital; and promoting innovation in next-generation grid hardware. It also highlights subnational opportunities for states to attract investment through tailored workforce training and industrial clustering.

The PJM region expects approximately 30 GW of new electricity demand by 2030, primarily from data centers, amid rising capacity market prices and slow interconnection timelines. In response, the PJM Board's January 2026 CIFP-LLA decision establishes a regional framework for load forecasting, 'bring-your-own resource' options, a 'connect and manage' curtailment approach, and a 'reliability backstop' capacity auction. RMI argues that states must operationalize this framework through specific retail-level actions: establishing large load tariffs (LLTs) to prevent cost-shifting, improving load forecast validation to reduce speculative requests, and implementing non-firm service tariffs to prioritize the curtailment of large loads over residential customers. Additionally, the briefing recommends that states pursue permitting reforms to accelerate new generation, deploy virtual power plants (VPPs) and advanced transmission technologies (ATTs) to expand grid capacity, and coordinate regionally to advocate for deeper PJM generator interconnection reforms.

The report argues that New England's transmission costs are the highest in the U.S., driven by a lack of cohesive planning and a reliance on expensive private capital. It proposes replacing private equity and debt with low-cost, tax-exempt public financing, which could save ratepayers up to $8.3 billion on new transmission and $1.1 billion on asset condition projects. The authors suggest several implementation pathways, including integrating public financing into ISO New England's Longer-Term Transmission Planning (LTTP) process or creating new state transmission authorities.

The report argues that electricity planning in Southeast Asia, specifically in Indonesia, Viet Nam, Thailand, and the Philippines, is overly focused on GDP and industrial growth, which masks a "well-being gap" in essential services. Using the Decent Living Standards framework, it estimates a sufficiency floor of 620–1,270 kWh per capita per year, finding that while aggregate generation often meets this threshold, poor allocation and affordability prevent basic needs from being met.

The PURE Rural Mozambique Climate Project seeks EUR 37.415 million from the Green Climate Fund to implement 30–40 solar-powered mini-grids and 300–400 climate-smart PURE solutions. The project focuses on strengthening the institutional capacity of Mozambique's National Energy Fund (FUNAE), developing a pipeline of investment-ready projects, and using Results-Based Financing (RBF) to catalyze private sector investment. It targets 66,200 direct and 158,800 indirect beneficiaries, aiming to reduce GHG emissions by 399,131.26 tCO2eq over 25 years while improving rural livelihoods against climate hazards like droughts and cyclones.