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Carbon Market Watch critiques the EU Innovation Fund for disproportionately funding carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU), particularly in the cement and lime sector. The organization argues that the fund should prioritize technologies that encourage material savings and explicitly include material saving as a mandatory assessment criterion for projects.

The document argues that the current NECP process suffers from incomplete Member State reporting, outdated reporting categories, and poor data accessibility. It recommends that the European Commission enforce full reporting through 2050, expand the reporting template to include electrification rates, energy storage, demand-side flexibility, and grid planning, and mandate digital submissions to create a single, publicly available data source.

Analysis of EU National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) indicates a structural shift toward a cleaner, electrified economy, with gas demand projected to fall by 7% by 2030. The EU is targeting a 30% electrification rate and a 66% share of renewables in electricity generation by 2030. While solar targets are achievable and potentially conservative compared to market outlooks, wind targets face significant implementation challenges due to grid and permitting bottlenecks. The report recommends that the European Commission enforce more comprehensive and digitally accessible reporting for future NECP cycles.

The document examines the role of distributed energy systems (DES) in enhancing energy sovereignty for First Nations in New Brunswick. It highlights the Amlamgog (Fort Folly) First Nation's progress in solar energy and energy efficiency, while arguing that New Brunswick's highly regulated electricity market—dominated by NB Power—creates significant obstacles to the large-scale adoption of community-led DES. The report recommends creating a 'regulatory sandbox' and updating the Electricity Act to allow for more flexible energy production and retail models, citing successful Indigenous-led projects in Yukon, British Columbia, and Alberta as models for transition.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has ordered the J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan and units of the Eddystone oil and gas plant in Pennsylvania to remain open, overturning planned retirements. Earthjustice contends these orders are an illegal abuse of Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, as there is no evidence of a reliability risk. The document asserts that these actions override state regulators and market decisions to prop up uncompetitive fossil fuels, potentially costing utility customers millions and hindering the transition to clean energy.

Ember expresses two primary concerns regarding India's draft VPPA framework: its potential to undermine power system flexibility and its role as a potentially misleading accounting mechanism for corporate clean energy claims. The organization argues that VPPAs may encourage continued investment in 'plain vanilla' solar without storage, exacerbating midday surpluses and grid balancing challenges. Ember also contends that VPPAs allow industrial consumers to claim 100% renewable energy usage through Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) without physically consuming clean power or contributing to grid stability, potentially diverting investment away from genuine 24/7 clean energy solutions.

The report argues for a 'hybrid market model' in Europe that combines proactive procurement for the market with competition in the market to ensure a reliable, 24/7 decarbonised power system. It identifies significant gaps in current National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), noting that many Member States are not on track to meet 2030 EU targets. To address this, the authors recommend expanding system needs assessments to include flexibility and resilience (including climate and cyber risks) and extending their time horizon to 2050. On the contracting side, the report suggests enhancing Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) through standardisation and public demand, and improving Contracts for Difference (CfDs) by embedding dispatch incentives to avoid distorting market signals. It also proposes a tripartite contracting framework involving a central public entity to hedge risks for both the state and industrial consumers, thereby fostering industrial electrification and competitiveness.

The report outlines the regulatory complexities of the energy transition toward low-emissions hydrogen, emphasizing the high uncertainty of future demand. It provides specific guidance for electricity and gas regulators on managing infrastructure investments, pricing, and safety risks. The authors argue that regulators must balance government policy goals with their mandate to ensure affordable and safe service, warning against 'stranded assets' if hydrogen investments are based on hype rather than economic reality. Key technical concerns include hydrogen's propensity for pipeline embrittlement, low roundtrip efficiency in power generation, and the necessity of high-integrity emissions accounting to avoid greenwashing.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis finds that vehicle-grid integration (VGI) in California could save the electricity system between $1.8 billion and $11.7 billion annually by 2045. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology offers significantly higher savings than managed charging (V1G) alone, primarily by reducing the need for grid infrastructure upgrades and gas generation.

The analysis finds that VGI, particularly bidirectional charging (V2G), can generate annual system savings between $1.8 billion and $11.7 billion by 2045. These savings primarily stem from reduced requirements for electricity delivery infrastructure and utility-scale storage. The report recommends that California mandate bidirectional charging capabilities in new EVs and update battery warranties to cover discharging to encourage widespread adoption.

The document argues that India's next NDC for 2035 should reflect technological progress and corporate ambition to attract investment and ensure energy security. It proposes three pillars for action: raising NDC ambition with clear sectoral targets, implementing consistent policies across power, industry, transport, and nature, and strengthening government-business engagement. The briefing highlights that 99% of Indian executives support a transition to renewable energy and suggests specific policy levers, such as Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) targets and the National Carbon Market, to accelerate decarbonization.

The document introduces a three-part framework consisting of on-the-ground solutions, policy and market-enabling conditions, and state levers. It categorizes electricity system improvements into six areas: system-wide efficiency and demand management, utility-scale clean energy supply, community- and commercial-scale clean energy supply, clean distributed energy supply, improved grid management, and updated grid infrastructure. For each category, the guide suggests specific actions—such as implementing clean portfolio standards, expanding virtual power plants (VPPs), and adopting grid-enhancing technologies (GETs)—and provides sample implementation pathways combining different state levers and market conditions.

ASEAN electricity demand grew by approximately 50% between 2013 and 2023 and is projected to rise by up to 41% by 2030. While the IEA's Announced Pledges Scenario (APS) targets 100,000 km of transmission line expansion for Southeast Asia between 2021 and 2030, the combined plans of Indonesia, Viet Nam, Thailand, and the Philippines total 45,078 km, covering only about 45% of that target. The document argues that grid planning must shift from merely meeting peak demand to managing the intermittency of wind and solar power, which saw cost reductions of 55% and 85% respectively in the decade to 2020.

The report argues that ASEAN's transmission grid expansion must roughly double to align with IEA pathways, as current national plans for Indonesia, Viet Nam, the Philippines, and Thailand cover only about 45% of the required expansion. It highlights that 30 GW of solar and wind potential is located along planned interconnection routes in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Brunei. To support this transition, the report proposes a six-pillar framework for future-ready grid planning—including smart modernisation, strategic expansion, and market reforms—and suggests learning from the integrated power systems of Europe and Southern Africa to move from bilateral to multilateral power trade.

The report outlines the necessity for ASEAN countries to shift from reactive grid expansion to proactive system transformation to support variable renewable energy. It proposes a six-pillar framework for future-ready grid planning—covering smart modernisation, strategic expansion, flexibility, regional integration, regulatory reform, and sustainable finance—and draws comparative lessons from the integrated power systems of Europe and Southern Africa to advocate for a more connected and resilient regional market.

The report examines the need for grid modernisation and policy alignment in ASEAN to support the transition to renewables. It highlights the current dominance of fossil fuels, the risk of curtailment seen in Vietnam, and the potential of clean flexibility options such as pumped hydro, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and demand-side management (DSM) to ensure grid stability and enable cross-border energy sharing.

China has surpassed its 2030 wind and solar capacity targets six years early, with clean electricity meeting 84.2% of additional demand in 2024. However, the report argues that the 'more renewables, more coal' era is ending and the next phase requires a shift from adding capacity to engineering a 'megasystem' involving smart grids, long-duration storage, and industrial electrification. While the 'new three' sectors (solar, batteries, EVs) have driven GDP, they face saturation and competition, making the development of next-generation technologies essential for sustaining China's 'growing by greening' economic strategy.

The report critiques the reliance on Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) for power system planning, noting that while useful for tracking historical technology costs, it fails to account for system-wide needs, generation profiles, and integration costs. It highlights that clean firm technologies can reduce overall system costs despite higher LCOEs. The authors recommend moving toward comprehensive system-level analyses that model temporal and spatial constraints to optimize decarbonization pathways.

The PELP 2023-2027 report outlines three development scenarios for Chile: Slow Recovery, Carbon Neutrality, and Accelerated Transition. It projects a significant shift toward renewable energy, primarily wind and solar photovoltaic, and identifies critical transmission expansion needs. A key innovation is the introduction of Electric Generation Development Poles (PDGE) in the provinces of Antofagasta and Tocopilla to optimize renewable energy deployment. The report also analyzes the role of green hydrogen, energy storage, and the phased retirement of coal-fired power plants to meet 2050 carbon neutrality goals.

The PELP 2023-2027 establishes three development scenarios—Slow Recovery, Carbon Neutrality, and Accelerated Transition—to project Chile's energy needs and supply through 2060. The plan emphasizes the expansion of wind and solar photovoltaic generation, the integration of energy storage, and the phased retirement of coal-fired power plants. A key innovation is the introduction of Electric Generation Development Poles (PDGE) in the provinces of Antofagasta and Tocopilla to optimize transmission and promote renewable energy. The report also analyzes the role of green hydrogen in decarbonizing industry and transport, and assesses the resilience of the National Electric System (NES) against climate-induced hydrological and wind variability.