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RMI advocates for the reassessment of planned coal-fired power plants, particularly in low-and-middle-income countries, given the falling costs of renewables and storage. The briefing provides a framework for identifying candidate plants for reconsideration based on their conception date, sunk costs, and evolving grid needs, suggesting that solar paired with battery energy storage (BESS) often offers a more competitive levelized cost of energy (LCOE) than new ultra-supercritical coal plants.

The document outlines a comparative framework using six indicators—energy planning, flexible grid planning, transmission planning, electricity procurement, industrial rate modernization, and climate policy predictability—to assess the competitiveness of jurisdictions including Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, British Columbia, Germany, the UK, Norway, New South Wales, Washington, and Texas.

The document outlines a benchmarking framework used to assess how jurisdictions attract investment in wind, solar, and battery projects. It defines six metrics: energy planning, flexibility planning, transmission planning, electricity procurement, industrial rate modernization, and climate policy certainty. The report provides the specific data sources, scoring rubrics, and calculation methods used to evaluate Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, British Columbia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, New South Wales, Washington, and Texas.

The report argues that many planned coal plants in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are candidates for reconsideration due to declining costs of solar and battery storage, evolving grid needs, and the risk of long-term financial lock-in. It introduces a five-indicator framework—fuel source, initiation date, sunk costs, designed grid role, and evolution of grid needs—to prioritize plants for reevaluation. RMI's analysis suggests that solar paired with battery energy storage systems (BESS) is increasingly cost-competitive with new ultra-supercritical coal, potentially offering a more affordable and flexible alternative for modernizing grids.

The document examines the intersection of AI data centre growth and Canada's electricity grid, highlighting risks such as increased emissions from gas-powered generation and the potential for data centres to crowd out other electrification efforts. Conversely, it suggests that data centres can act as 'anchor tenants' for cleaner grids by spurring private investment in infrastructure and providing grid flexibility. Because electricity regulation is primarily provincial, the author proposes a federal framework of 'conditional carrots' (funding tied to clean energy), 'binding sticks' (Clean Electricity Regulations and carbon pricing), and 'transparency infrastructure' (national reporting standards) to align provincial actions with national climate objectives.

In 2025, clean power met all global electricity demand growth for the first time since the pandemic, as China's fossil generation plateaued. Solar power is the primary driver of this shift, and the deployment of battery storage is increasingly enabling solar to displace fossil fuels during non-daylight hours. India is expected to follow a less coal-reliant path than China due to lower energy intensity and the maturity of low-cost clean technologies.

The document highlights the growing role of energy storage in supporting the global transition to renewable energy, noting that combined wind and solar capacity has reached 3,222 GWac. It identifies China, the U.S., and the EU as leaders in total capacity, while emphasizing the trend of colocating storage with renewables in emerging markets like Chile, Türkiye, Australia, and Nigeria to manage curtailment and grid instability. Specifically, Chile is identified as the leader in Latin America, utilizing BESS to address transmission constraints and target 80% renewable electricity generation by 2030.

The document examines energy storage as a structural resource for flexibility in Latin American electrical systems facing high penetration of variable renewable energy. It highlights that while Chile leads in battery deployment to manage curtailment, other countries like Colombia, Peru, and Brazil are at earlier stages, often focusing on reliability or specific industrial uses. The report argues that the primary barriers to deployment are institutional and regulatory rather than technological, and recommends shifting from a capacity-focused approach to a functional one that prioritizes specific flexibility needs.

The report challenges the narrative of fossil gas as a necessary transition fuel for grid flexibility. It distinguishes between Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGT), which are agile but inefficient, and Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGT), which are efficient for baseload power but suffer from premature aging, higher emissions, and reduced profitability when used for peak demand. The author highlights that CCGT viability often relies on costly government capacity mechanisms funded by consumers. Furthermore, a global shortage of gas turbines is delaying projects and increasing costs. The document advocates for replacing gas with sustainable flexibility solutions, including battery storage, pumped hydro, demand-side response, and improved interconnections, urging financial institutions to cease funding new gas power projects.

The report challenges the narrative of fossil gas as a necessary 'bridge fuel' for grid flexibility. It argues that Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGTs), which dominate new developments, are designed for baseload rather than peakload, and using them for flexibility reduces their lifespan and increases emissions. The document highlights that gas plant profitability is often maintained through costly consumer-funded capacity mechanisms and notes a critical global shortage of gas turbines. It concludes that sustainable alternatives—such as battery storage, pumped hydro, demand-side response, and grid enhancements—provide more efficient and cheaper flexibility, urging financial institutions to cease support for new gas projects.

Between May and December 2025, India's system operator curtailed an estimated 2.3 TWh of solar energy, resulting in approximately 2.11 million tonnes of missed CO2 emission reductions. While generators are compensated for this loss, the costs are passed to consumers, and the practice wastes the value of clean energy assets. With solar capacity reaching 135.8 GW in 2025 and growing faster than demand, the report warns that curtailment could become routine unless system flexibility—such as battery storage—is accelerated to keep pace with capacity additions.

In 2025, the EU reached a milestone where wind and solar generated more electricity (30.1%) than all fossil fuel sources (29.0%) for the first time on record. Solar generation grew by 20.1% to reach a record 369 TWh, while coal fell to a historic low of 9.2% of the mix. Despite this, gas generation rose by 8% due to low hydro output, increasing the EU power sector's gas import bill by 16% to €32 billion. The report highlights the role of a growing battery pipeline—exceeding 10 GW of large batteries in 2025—in reducing reliance on expensive gas and mitigating the curtailment of clean power, particularly in Germany.

The letter argues against postponing the ETS2 and opposes changes to the MSR2, specifically the removal of the sunset clause, which the authors claim would increase emissions and jeopardize the Fit for 55 package. It emphasizes the need for robust carbon prices to drive decarbonization investments and calls for the Commission to ensure Member States strengthen national policies to compensate for any reduced effectiveness of a reformed ETS2.

India's coal fleet is shifting from baseload to flexible balancing to integrate rising solar and wind energy. By FY 2031–32, coal plants will need to operate closer to their technical minimums, with a projected average plant load factor (PLF) drop from 69% to 55%. This transition will disproportionately impact high-cost, less efficient units, suggesting that the 35 GW of coal capacity currently under construction is sufficient for supply security without further additions.

The document outlines strategies for India's power sector transition, emphasizing the need to improve coal plant flexibility, reform power purchase agreements, and scale up energy storage to manage solar integration and grid reliability.

Chile faces significant renewable energy curtailment due to limited transmission and storage capacity, with 5,642 GWh of solar and wind energy curtailed in 2024. The report recommends a National Curtailment Reduction Plan, the mass installation of Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) systems, minimum storage requirements for new projects in congested areas, and the creation of a formal demand response market. It also suggests strengthening electricity exchange markets with Argentina and Peru to improve system flexibility.

Chile faces significant energy curtailments due to transmission bottlenecks and a lack of system flexibility, with 2024 curtailments reaching 19% of solar and wind generation. The document argues that while large infrastructure projects like the Kimal-Lo Aguirre line are planned for 2029, immediate action is needed through a 'Clean Flexibility Kit' including battery storage, Dynamic Line Rating (DLR), and demand response markets. It compares Chile's situation with other high-renewable systems like China, Ireland, and California to provide a roadmap of short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations to improve grid efficiency and reduce economic losses for investors.

Central Europe's solar generation grew at twice the EU average rate between 2019 and 2024, with cumulative output increasing from 5 TWh to 29 TWh. While Hungary, Poland, and Czechia have seen significant surges—with Hungary reaching nearly 25% solar share in 2024—Slovakia has lagged due to policy hurdles. Despite this growth, the region's battery deployment remains low at 0.1 GW as of August 2025, though Poland has a substantial 7.3 GW project pipeline. The report argues that the region must improve grid flexibility and storage to sustain solar momentum and leverage its position as a global battery manufacturing hub.

Two years after the COP28 agreement to triple global renewable capacity by 2030, national targets remain largely stagnant. As of July 2025, the global sum of national targets has increased by only 2% since COP28, reaching 7.4 TW, which is significantly below the 11 TW required to meet the tripling goal. Only 22 countries have updated their targets, with the majority of these being EU member states revising plans through the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) process. Most non-EU updates occurred through routine planning cycles rather than as a direct response to COP pledges. Major electricity markets, including the US, Russia, and Canada, have either not set explicit targets or are unlikely to update them in 2025.

The report examines how India can transition to cleaner EV charging by utilizing time-of-day (ToD) tariffs, green tariffs, rooftop solar, and open access. While states like Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh use ToD tariffs to encourage charging during solar hours (10 AM to 4 PM), the prevalence of nighttime home charging and limited public charging infrastructure (approximately 26,367 stations) hinder effectiveness. Green tariffs are currently restricted to consumers with loads over 100 kW, and while rooftop solar is gaining traction in Delhi and Bengaluru, high deployment costs remain a barrier. Open access for renewable energy is available for operators with a 100 kW load, but high upfront and third-party charges limit its adoption.