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The water-energy nexus: comparing how Los Angeles and Beijing integrate policies across sectors
The document examines the water-energy nexus (WEN) in Los Angeles and Beijing, finding that Los Angeles employs more explicit integration mechanisms—largely driven by state-level climate legislation—while Beijing relies on implicit mechanisms and sector-specific targets. It argues that common evaluation criteria, such as greenhouse gas emissions, and explicit incentives are essential for improving policy coherence and avoiding cross-sectoral conflicts.
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Document type: Briefing
The Role of Renewable Energy Mini-Grids in Kenya's Electricity Sector
The report argues that renewable energy mini-grids are often the most cost-effective solution for rural electrification in Kenya compared to national grid extension. While Kenya's current strategy focuses on grid extension, the report suggests that integrating mini-grids into national planning could accelerate electrification, create local jobs, improve energy security, and reduce CO2 emissions by 0.14-0.48 MtCO2e per year.
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Document type: Report
final_fy2020_energy_star_conference_letter_103019-9fe802fb09881138.pdf
The document is a letter from a broad coalition of energy efficiency organizations and businesses to the U.S. Senate and House Committees on Appropriations. The authors advocate for the continued operation of the ENERGY STAR program through a recommended line-item funding of $42,000,000 for FY2020, arguing that a fee-based model would undermine the program's integrity. The letter highlights the program's economic impact, noting that it has helped save $450 billion on utility bills since 1992 and supports over 2.3 million American jobs related to energy efficiency products.
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Document type: Statement
Integrated Resource Plan (IRP2019)
The IRP 2019 identifies an immediate risk of power shortages in South Africa due to the declining energy availability factor (EAF) of Eskom's fleet and the decommissioning of old coal plants. To mitigate this, the plan recommends a medium-term power purchase programme, the life extension of the Koeberg nuclear plant to 2044, and the continued operation of plants despite minimum emission standard non-compliance. Long-term, the plan envisions a diversified energy mix shifting from coal toward renewables, gas, and nuclear, while emphasizing a 'just transition' to protect jobs and local economies. It specifically proposes 2,500 MW of new nuclear capacity and the integration of the Grand Inga Hydropower Project from the DRC.
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Document type: Report
Leveraging Climate-Smart Agriculture to Address Climate Risk in Africa
Africa is identified as the region most vulnerable to climate change due to its reliance on rainfed agriculture and natural resources. This vulnerability is compounded by megatrends such as urbanization, technology, and a projected population increase to 2.4 billion by 2050, which will strain food, water, and energy supplies. The document proposes climate-smart agriculture as a mechanism for smallholder farmers to adapt to these stressors while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Document type: Policy brief
ECONOMIC, EMISSIONS IMPACT OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FUEL ECONOMY AND GHG EMISSIONS STANDARDS FREEZE; IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S., CALIFORNIA, “SECTION 177” STATES, CANADA
The document argues that freezing fuel economy and GHG emissions standards at 2020 levels would cost U.S. consumers up to $400 billion by 2050 and increase transportation emissions by up to 10% in 2035. It highlights the potential for a split market if California and Section 177 states maintain their authority to set stricter standards, and notes that Canada may follow California's lead or face its own economic losses of $50 billion to $67 billion if it continues to align with federal U.S. standards.
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Document type: Research paper
India’s Energy Transition
The document analyzes the tension between India's push for electric vehicle (EV) adoption and its continued support for fossil fuels. While the government has significantly increased EV funding through the FAME II scheme, it simultaneously provided substantial price support for petrol and diesel in 2018-2019 to counter rising oil prices. The authors argue that these fuel subsidies undermine the energy transition and that the environmental benefits of EVs will only be fully realized as India decarbonizes its coal-heavy electricity grid.
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Document type: Briefing
Renewables in the Energy Security Landscape in Poland and Ukraine
The author argues that Poland and Ukraine's dependence on Russian gas and oil creates significant security vulnerabilities, which Russia exploits for political pressure. While Poland is investing in infrastructure like the Świnoujście LNG terminal and Baltic Pipe to end gas imports by 2022, Ukraine remains more vulnerable due to limited financial and regulatory capacity. The document posits that long-term resilience against 'hybrid war' requires a shift from centralized energy systems to distributed networks based on renewables and improved energy efficiency, particularly in the housing sector.
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Document type: Research paper
BRICS — energy cooperation: why Russia and South Africa still need each other
The document analyzes the energy partnership between Russia and South Africa, noting that while a $76-billion nuclear deal was declared unlawful and abandoned, both nations maintain a strategic need for cooperation. Russia seeks to diversify its export markets through a 'Pivot to the East' to reduce vulnerability to global commodity shocks, while South Africa seeks to resolve a chronic electricity crisis. Current cooperation has shifted toward smaller-scale projects, such as an agreement between Rosatom and the South African government to build mini hydropower plants in Mpumalanga to power rural areas.
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Document type: Research paper
Why the lights went out: reform in the South African energy sector
This 2013 case study by Tracy Ledger examines the origins of South Africa's energy crisis, focusing on the role of the state utility Eskom and the systemic failures that led to widespread power cuts and load shedding starting in 2007.
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Document type: Case study
Building resilience to energy insecurity: enabling small-scale embedded generation
The document details the transition of South African municipal electricity distribution from a monopoly to a distributed generation model, focusing on the adoption of rooftop solar PV. It highlights the role of the City of Cape Town as a pioneer in developing SSEG policies and tariffs, supported by GreenCape and the Western Cape Government. The study identifies six levers to drive this transition, including technical support, regulatory certainty, and new finance models, to prevent the 'utility death spiral' where municipalities lose revenue as customers switch to renewable energy. By October 2018, 22 of 25 electricity-distributing municipalities in the Western Cape allowed SSEG, with 18 having NERSA-approved feed-in tariffs.
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Document type: Case study
Building resilience in the solar PV sector through quality assurance and skills development
The document details the establishment of the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC), a national accredited Solar PV Service Technician qualification, and the PV GreenCard voluntary quality assurance mechanism. It highlights the importance of local partnerships, international expertise (particularly from Germany), and proactive timing in addressing skills gaps to support both utility-scale and small-scale solar PV deployment in South Africa.
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Document type: Case study
Electric Vehicles: Market Intelligence Report 2019
The report examines South Africa's nascent electric vehicle (EV) market, highlighting a strong existing automotive manufacturing base that could be leveraged for EV production. While global EV sales are growing exponentially, South Africa faces significant barriers including high import duties, lack of policy certainty, and a lack of affordable products for the middle class. Key opportunities are identified in electric bus manufacturing, lithium-ion battery production, and passenger vehicle exports. The document also details the role of the Western Cape as a greentech hub and outlines the transition from the Automotive Production & Development Programme (APDP) to the South African Automotive Masterplan (SAAM) 2021-2035.
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Document type: Report
The IAI Strategic Plan
The IAI Strategic Plan (2019–2044) establishes a long-term framework to bridge the gap between science and policy in the Americas. The plan is organized into three themes: meeting the needs of member Parties, advancing science for regional sustainability, and ensuring the organizational sustainability of the IAI. Key priorities include promoting transdisciplinary research on climate action, water and energy security, and biodiversity, while expanding the institute's membership and establishing a 100 million USD endowment fund.
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Document type: Report
The New Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean
The document introduces a collective volume analyzing the shifting security and geopolitical landscape of the Eastern Mediterranean. It identifies four primary drivers of change: hydrocarbon discoveries, geopolitical antagonisms (particularly involving Turkey), new human security imperatives resulting from Middle Eastern instability, and increased interest from external powers like the US, Russia, and China. The text focuses on the formation of trilateral partnerships (Cyprus-Greece-Israel and Cyprus-Egypt-Greece) as a balancing act against Turkey's regional power projection and explores how these alliances intersect with energy security and the broader refugee crisis affecting Southern Europe.
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Document type: Report
The New Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean: Trilateral Partnerships and Regional Security
The document examines the discovery of natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean and the subsequent formation of political alliances between Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt. It evaluates three primary monetisation strategies: the East Med pipeline to Europe, a pipeline to Turkey, and a triangular strategy using Egypt as a gas hub. The author argues that while these projects are politically desirable for regional security and EU diversification, they face severe technical, financial, and geopolitical obstacles—including high construction costs, seismic risks, and volatile global gas prices—that may render them commercially unviable.
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Document type: Research paper
The New Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean: Trilateral Partnerships and Regional Security
The document analyzes Greece's strategic shift in the Eastern Mediterranean, emphasizing the role of personal beliefs of policymakers like Nikos Kotzias in shaping a 'diverse active policy'. It details Greece's efforts to establish trilateral partnerships with Israel, Egypt, and Cyprus to counter Turkish influence and leverage hydrocarbon discoveries. Central to this strategy is the ambition to become a regional energy hub through projects like the EastMed pipeline and electrical interconnectors, while positioning Greece as an 'exporter of stability' within a 'triangle of instability' comprising Ukraine, Libya, and Syria.
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Document type: Research paper
Turkey’s Geostrategic Vision and Energy Concerns in the Eastern Mediterranean Security Architecture: A View from Ankara
The document analyzes Turkey's ambition to become a regional energy hub and how this goal conflicts with its assertive geostrategic vision and the emerging energy partnerships of other Eastern Mediterranean states. It details Turkey's use of 'gunboat diplomacy' and naval presence to protect the sovereign rights of Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) against the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) and its allies. The authors argue that the current security architecture, characterized by trilateral partnerships and maritime boundary disputes, creates a challenge for Turkish policymakers attempting to reconcile energy ambitions with national security and sovereignty claims.
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Document type: Research paper
The New Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean: Trilateral Partnerships and Regional Security
The report examines the shift in Eastern Mediterranean geopolitics driven by hydrocarbon discoveries and the formation of trilateral partnerships (Greece-Cyprus-Israel and Greece-Cyprus-Egypt). It analyzes these alliances as a balancing act against Turkey's regional power projection and assertive foreign policy. While energy is a primary driver, the report notes that technical, economic, and political obstacles—such as the viability of the EastMed pipeline and maritime boundary disputes—hinder full monetization of gas reserves. The text also explores the domestic drivers of foreign policy in Cyprus and Greece, the historical perceptions of the region from an Israeli perspective, and Turkey's strategic ambition to become a regional energy hub.
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Document type: Report
Not (yet) a missed opportunity. Influencing the 2021- 2030 NECPs through early Public Participation
ClientEarth warns that the Governance Regulation (GR) may allow EU Member States to bypass meaningful public participation during the initial drafting of National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). The briefing argues that waiting until after the first draft is submitted to the European Commission risks ignoring the interests of citizens and renewable energy developers in favor of fossil fuel operators. It highlights potential legal breaches of the Aarhus Convention and the SEA Directive, noting that some countries, such as Romania, have provided insufficient consultation windows (seven days). ClientEarth calls for a minimum eight-week consultation period before the first draft submission to ensure all policy options remain open.
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Document type: Briefing