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The document outlines a hypothetical 'Governance scenario' for Africa, defined by reductions in state failure and corruption, and improvements in democracy and gender empowerment. It argues that such improvements would lead to a significantly larger African economy by 2043, with substantial gains in GDP per capita and a reduction of 45.5 million people living in extreme poverty. The analysis highlights the role of digital technology in implementing efficient cash grant programs as a tool for inclusion, citing Egypt's Takaful and Karama program as an example.

The document examines how reliance on imported oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exposes Asian economies to price shocks and supply disruptions, particularly those stemming from conflicts in the Middle East. It analyzes the economic impacts on countries like Singapore, Thailand, and Japan, highlighting how fuel price volatility drives inflation and weakens currencies. The report argues that returning to coal as a short-term fallback is economically and environmentally risky compared to renewables. It recommends investing in regional connected grids and clean technology supply chains to build long-term resilience and energy security.

In 2025, renewable energy reduced annual electricity bills for households in Türkiye by an average of 9%, with some monthly savings reaching 17%. While renewables lowered wholesale electricity prices by up to 45%, the benefit to end-consumers is limited by a regulated tariff structure. The report highlights that 2.5 million households are expected to transition to the non-subsidized Last Resort Supply Tariff (LRST) in 2026, potentially doubling their bills, though renewable growth may mitigate this. Additionally, implementing hourly demand-side management could increase annual household savings to 15.7%, equivalent to two months of bills.

The report advocates for a "twin-track" diversification of India's clean cooking energy to address the affordability, delivery, and price volatility issues associated with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and piped natural gas (PNG). It proposes scaling electric cooking (e-cooking) in urban and peri-urban areas and biogas in rural areas. The analysis suggests that e-cooking could halve LPG demand by 2050 and save over INR 2 trillion in subsidies, while rural biogas adoption depends on reducing high upfront costs and improving local maintenance ecosystems.

The report analyzes India's energy subsidy landscape in FY 2025 and FY 2026, highlighting a significant imbalance where fossil fuel subsidies are three times higher than clean energy subsidies. It details the fiscal strain on state governments due to rising electricity subsidies and the vulnerability of the national budget to global LPG and crude oil price volatility caused by conflict in the Gulf. The analysis argues for a strategic shift from recurring fossil fuel subsidies to one-time capital investments in renewable energy, electric cooking, and electric mobility to enhance energy security and fiscal sustainability.

The document argues that while India has expanded clean cooking via LPG subsidies, this pathway creates fiscal burdens and import dependencies. It advocates for a shift toward biogas in rural regions and e-cooking in urban areas, noting that both are more cost-effective over their lifecycles than LPG. The brief provides evidence from fieldwork in several Indian states and cities, highlighting that e-cooking could save the government over INR 2 trillion in subsidies by 2050. Key barriers identified include high upfront costs and inadequate maintenance services, which the authors suggest addressing through redirected subsidies and decentralized service centers.

The report details a randomized control trial (RCT) involving 242 SunCulture customers in Kenya to test whether providing free electric pressure cookers (EPCs) powered by solar irrigation batteries could reduce reliance on polluting fuels. The pilot found that while EPCs are feasible and generally liked, their adoption is hindered by intra-household gender dynamics—where men typically control battery use while women control cooking—and competition with other appliances like televisions. Although the intervention increased EPC usage by 49 percentage points, the impact on displacing traditional fuels like firewood and charcoal was not statistically significant, likely due to the availability of LPG among the relatively wealthier study participants. The authors recommend integrating secondary-use mechanisms into solar irrigation programs, redirecting LPG subsidies toward e-cooking, and developing 'priority ports' to ensure energy is allocated to cooking.

The study found that using solar irrigation systems for secondary cooking purposes is feasible, with 63% of treated households using EPCs at least once weekly. While EPCs modestly reduced reliance on traditional fuels and increased battery electricity consumption by up to 26% among active users, adoption was constrained by limited battery capacity, competing energy needs for entertainment, and gendered disparities in energy control. Education was the strongest predictor of adoption, and high price sensitivity suggests a need for targeted subsidies or financing to scale the technology.

The report inventories 130 support measures across six energy types in Indonesia: oil and gas, coal, electricity, renewable energy, biofuels, and electric vehicles (EVs). It details various mechanisms including direct financial transfers, tax exemptions, and price regulations. For the period FY 2021 to FY 2024, 27% of these measures were quantified using official government data, while 64% remained unquantified due to data limitations. The annex provides specific legislative references and nominal values in IDR and USD for each measure.

The report argues that induction stoves are the most viable clean cooking solution for on-grid Indonesian households, offering cost savings and alignment with decarbonization goals compared to dimethyl ether (DME) or piped natural gas. It highlights that current universal LPG subsidies discourage adoption and recommends a targeted subsidy reform where savings from well-off households are reallocated to fund induction infrastructure. The document also emphasizes the need for electricity tariff reform and the integration of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) to support women, who are the primary cooks.

The report inventories quantified energy subsidies in South Africa, detailing nominal and real values from FY 2018 to FY 2025. It identifies a wide range of support mechanisms, including VAT zero-rating for liquid fuels, Eskom bailouts, and carbon tax exemptions, while also listing specific incentives for renewable energy and energy storage. The document applies the World Trade Organization's definition of subsidies to categorize these financial contributions and provides a breakdown of government guarantees as contingent liabilities.

The report analyzes a new purchase guarantee for domestic coal power plants in Turkey, which will provide a price of 75 USD/MWh for 60% of their electricity production until 2030. This mechanism is estimated to cost 8.7 billion USD and represents a 12% increase over the average sales price of the last year. The document highlights that these plants will continue to receive support through the existing capacity mechanism regardless of whether they generate electricity, meaning the new guarantee exceeds the total costs determined by TEİAŞ by 27%.

The report analyzes a Turkish government incentive providing a $75 USD/MWh purchase guarantee for 60% of electricity generated by domestic coal plants until 2030, estimated to cost $8.7 billion. It highlights that this guarantee is 12% higher than recent average market prices and 27% higher than the total costs determined by the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEİAŞ). Additionally, these plants continue to receive payments under a capacity mechanism that covers fixed and variable costs regardless of generation.

The report finds that Chhattisgarh remains deeply dependent on fossil fuels, with government subsidies for coal and oil and gas being four times higher than those for clean energy in FY 2024. While the state has a vision to reach 66% renewable energy by 2047, current public investment is dominated by thermal power expansion and electricity price supports. Energy revenues, which make up 22% of the state's total receipts, are primarily driven by oil and gas VAT and coal royalties, leaving the state vulnerable to the national energy transition.

The document examines the failure of uniform utility reform models in Africa, emphasizing that success depends on local context rather than ideological blueprints like privatization or cost-reflective tariffs. It contrasts the struggles of Nigeria and Ghana with the more successful, context-specific approaches in Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire, while highlighting the tension between commercial viability and poverty-driven affordability in countries like Zambia and Ethiopia.

The document analyzes the impact of the Ghana cedi's 24.5% appreciation against the U.S. dollar in early 2025 on electricity costs. While macroeconomic indicators have improved, the power sector remains burdened by 80 billion cedis in debt, high transmission and distribution losses of 35.26%, and a projected US$2.23 billion financing gap. The brief examines potential outcomes for the September 2025 tariff review, including modest reductions, tariff freezes, performance-linked adjustments, or debt-for-efficiency swaps, arguing that currency strength alone cannot resolve deep-rooted structural weaknesses.

The document analyzes the economic, political, and governance challenges of phasing out coal in Indonesia, emphasizing the need for multi-level coordination, economic diversification for affected workers, and the removal of coal subsidies to enable a just energy transition.

The South Korean government has announced a reduction in subsidies for biomass energy, which involves burning forests for electricity. This decision followed an Associated Press investigation and a citizen campaign led by Solutions For Our Climate and other allies. The author argues that biomass is not a climate solution, stating it emits more carbon than coal and drives deforestation in Indonesia, Canada, and the United States. The document calls for Japan and the UK to implement similar reductions in biomass subsidies to protect forests in Southeast Asia and North America.

The report identifies that buildings account for up to 70-80% of collective emissions from buildings, transport, and waste in secondary cities of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. While both nations have introduced energy efficiency targets—Uzbekistan aiming for a 50% improvement in overall economy energy efficiency by 2030 and Kazakhstan targeting a 15% reduction in energy intensity by 2029—implementation is hindered by significant energy subsidies (up to 50% for residential buildings) and a lack of technical capacity. The document maps 12 international entities providing project preparation support and proposes 12 recommendations to address gaps in data, awareness, institutional coordination, and dedicated financial instruments.

The study finds that while induction stoves are more energy-efficient and generally welcomed by users, they are viewed as supplementary rather than full replacements for LPG due to constraints in kitchen space, power capacity, and the inability to replicate certain cooking styles effectively.