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The report finds broad bipartisan support for transitioning to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2050, with 85% of registered voters supporting such a requirement for utilities. While most Americans view clean energy positively and believe it will boost economic growth, there is a significant gap in awareness and access to purchasing 100% clean electricity. Support for renewable energy research and tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles has increased between 2013 and 2018, particularly among conservative Republicans.

The report identifies that the typical LCOE for well-run minigrids is at least $0.60 per kWh, which is too expensive for widespread use. It proposes six cost-reduction pathways—hardware standardization, demand stimulation, customer engagement, clustered project development, low-cost financing, and regulatory reform—to bring the LCOE down to $0.25 per kWh by 2020. The document also provides an investment roadmap to transition from grant funding to commercial debt.

The guide 'Navigating Utility Business Model Reform' aims to support industry actors in implementing utility business model reforms by outlining foundational elements of various reform options, posing key questions for applicability, and identifying illustrative experiences and policy implementation options.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) critiques the International Energy Charter's draft Model Investment Dispute Prevention and Management Protocol, asserting that the instrument overreaches legally and could increase legal jeopardy for states in arbitration contexts. While supporting the development of internal state procedures for dispute management, IISD argues these should be based on guidance and good practice rather than a rigid legal instrument.

The report argues that Brazil's energy efficiency (EE) policies have been reactive and focused on residential consumption, neglecting the industrial sector, which is the country's largest energy consumer. Economic analysis of 106 industrial sectors shows that while the efficiency of typical firms improved between 2003 and 2015, the market share of the most efficient firms decreased. The study finds a strong correlation between energy efficiency and productive efficiency, suggesting that a total reallocation of productive inputs (capital, labor, and electricity) could have increased aggregate productivity by 81% in 2015, though capital misallocation is the primary driver of these losses.

A 2018 survey of scientists at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) indicates that political leadership is a primary barrier to science-based decisionmaking. Key findings include the diversion of resources away from politically contentious work, a lack of adequate training on scientific integrity policies, and concerns regarding the influence of political appointees and the White House on agency operations.

The document analyzes the energy crisis in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) regions, highlighting a significant gap between electricity generation and demand. It identifies key obstacles, including inadequate infrastructure investment, the insolvency of national utilities due to low tariffs, and the disproportionate influence of South Africa's coal-dominated energy system. The authors argue that while energy crises often push states toward inward-looking policies, regional cooperation, harmonized regulation, and transboundary projects offer the most viable path to energy security and economic development.

The paper finds that while some countries like Ethiopia and Peru align their NDCs with national strategies, others like Bangladesh and Ghana exhibit a disconnect between climate commitments and energy planning. It argues that integrating climate objectives into national development strategies and leveraging co-benefits such as job creation and health improvements can drive higher ambition in revised NDCs.

Nigeria faces a severe energy crisis with 60-70% of its population lacking regular electricity access and an average output of 5,000 MW against an installed capacity of 12,522 MW. The report identifies critical bottlenecks including a non-cost-reflective tariff regime, a N1 trillion revenue shortfall as of December 2016, and significant gas flaring despite the country ranking 9th globally in natural gas reserves. While hydropower provided approximately 32% of supply in 2015, other renewables like solar and wind remain underdeveloped. The author recommends the total deregulation of the gas sector, universal metering to close a gap of 4.09 million customers, and the implementation of the renewable energy masterplan to achieve a 10% renewable energy contribution by 2025.

The report examines the Nigerian minigrid sector, highlighting a potential annual revenue opportunity of ₦2.8 trillion (US$8 billion). Based on audits of ten commercial projects, it identifies best practices such as optimal site selection, community engagement, and appliance financing. While the regulatory environment is generally supportive, the report identifies barriers including high hardware costs, limited affordable finance, and inconsistent customs processes, proposing a series of stakeholder-specific actions to accelerate market growth.

The peer review concludes that the Greenhouse Gas Assessment (GGA) and Climate Resilience Assessment (CRA) are comprehensive and follow international best practices, though it identifies gaps in the quantification of the Social Cost of Carbon and questions the overall project impact rating. While the project's GHG emissions are rated as 'VERY LARGE' and water scarcity risks as 'HIGH', the reviewer notes that the project's justification relies on existing South African energy policy, which remains a point of contention.

The report analyzes data from 174 organizations and programs to identify gaps and challenges in integrating gender diversity and social inclusion into sustainable energy. It finds that marginalized groups lack decision-making power and that initiatives face significant hurdles, including funding shortages and low awareness of the need for inclusive energy service design.

This guide explains the role of electric utilities and Public Utilities Commissions in US energy policy, while detailing specific mechanisms like distributed generation, community solar, net metering, and decoupling that facilitate the transition to renewable energy.

The paper argues that the cost of the energy transition can be reduced by allocating specific investment risks—such as construction, price, and curtailment—to the party best equipped to manage them, whether public entities, private investors, or consumers. It suggests that moving away from a binary choice between public and private finance toward a risk-based allocation approach can lead to significant cost efficiencies.

The executive summary outlines a framework for countries to conduct voluntary self- and peer reviews of fossil fuel subsidies (FFS). It describes the 'building blocks' of these reviews—including scope, definition, measurement, and evaluation—and provides practical recommendations based on the experiences of countries such as China, Finland, New Zealand, Peru, and Sweden. The guide emphasizes that these reviews are tools for peer learning and domestic reform rather than compliance mechanisms, aiming to align subsidies with sustainable development and international commitments like those of the G7, G20, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The Gender Mainstreaming Strategy for USAID Clean Power Asia provides a framework to address gender disparities in the renewable energy sector of Southeast Asia. It identifies key gender issues, such as the male-dominated nature of energy institutions and limited female access to resources, and proposes a 'twin-track approach' that combines gender mainstreaming across the project cycle with targeted activities to foster 'gender champions.' The strategy includes specific action points for leadership, planning, policy, investments, and communication, alongside a checklist to ensure gender-sensitive design, inclusive stakeholder engagement, and equitable benefit sharing.

The City of Cape Town (CoCT) is challenging the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) over the interpretation of section 34 of the Electricity Control Act (ECA). NERSA maintains that a Ministerial determination is required before it can license an independent power producer (IPP) to generate new capacity. The CoCT argues that section 34 is an empowering provision that does not preclude others from establishing generation capacity if licensed, and further contends that the section is unconstitutional as it interferes with the city's duty to provide electricity to its inhabitants.

The document highlights that top-performing countries in energy access utilize a complementary mix of grids, mini-grids, and stand-alone systems. It identifies utility creditworthiness and high connection costs, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, as significant barriers to expanding electricity networks.

The document highlights a strong correlation between high energy efficiency scores in the RISE index and high rankings in the Ease of Doing Business among the top twenty high-impact countries. It identifies dedicated entities and specific measures like minimum energy performance standards and building codes as essential for implementing energy efficiency, while noting that Nigeria exhibits both low energy efficiency scores and a low Doing Business rank.

The report finds that while coal may appear cheaper on a per-unit basis when considering only generation costs and subsidies, its "true cost" is significantly higher than that of renewable energy once environmental and health externalities are included. In 2015, subsidies to coal were estimated at USD 644 million, nearly five times the USD 133 million provided to renewables. The authors argue that Indonesia's energy policy should shift toward increasing the share of renewable energy and reducing coal to lower the long-term cost to society.