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The document argues that renewable energy (RE) is now a viable, low-cost alternative to grid and diesel power for mining operations, particularly through hybrid systems. While high initial capital expenditure and intermittency pose challenges, the long-term total cost of ownership is lower over a 20-year period. The paper highlights the role of energy storage in stabilizing supply and the potential for portable solar systems to support exploration. It also notes that the shift toward electric vehicles in mining will further drive RE demand. In South Africa, major mining companies are already seeking to self-generate solar power to reduce grid dependence.

The report uses the WIS:dom-P optimization model to compare four capacity expansion scenarios for the Southeast US: the current SE IRP, an economic IRP without an RTO, an SE RTO, and an SE RTO that retains uneconomic nuclear plants. The findings indicate that the SE RTO scenario is the most economic, offering cumulative savings of $383.7 billion by 2040 and the highest job creation. Retaining nuclear plants further reduces emissions, saving an additional 156.76 million metric tonnes of CO2 by 2040 at a minimal additional cost. The study also highlights the role of variable renewable energy (VRE) and storage in meeting seasonal demand peaks and the importance of transmission expansion in a coordinated regional market.

The SAVi assessment concludes that the Poçem and Kalivaç hydropower projects are not preferable electricity solutions for Albania, as their lifetime costs, societal burdens, and tax losses outweigh their benefits. The analysis shows negative cost-benefit results of EUR 233 million for Poçem and EUR 321 million for Kalivaç, driven by adverse effects on ecosystems, agriculture, and tourism along the Vjosa River. Financial analysis indicates that these projects are not financially attractive based on domestic market offtake prices, with an internal rate of return (IRR) of 9.32% falling below the 13.5% hurdle rate. The report suggests that solar photovoltaic energy represents a more beneficial and viable alternative for generating comparable electricity in Albania.

The report contends that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep structural faults in South Africa's economy, including extreme inequality and a dependence on fossil fuels. It advocates for a 'Just Recovery' based on five principles: prioritizing health, providing direct economic relief, supporting workers over corporations, creating resilience for future crises, and building international solidarity. The authors propose a transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050, the implementation of a 'purple economy' to value care work, and a shift toward democratic public ownership to replace market-centric neoliberal policies.

The report examines the potential of solar PV, batteries, and ICT to transform agriculture in low- and middle-income countries. It highlights applications such as solar-powered irrigation, precision agriculture, and indoor farming, noting that while these technologies can reduce environmental harm and increase yields, they face barriers like high upfront costs and data privacy risks. The authors recommend government interventions in regulation, financing, and capacity-building to ensure inclusive and sustainable adoption.

The Mokoloki project, launched in February 2020, serves as a proof-of-concept for an 'undergrid' model in Nigeria, where a solar hybrid minigrid replaces a weak grid connection through a tripartite agreement between a utility, a developer, and the community. The project has demonstrated technical reliability of 99.9% and provided economic benefits, including reduced electricity costs for customers and lower technical and commercial losses for the utility. It utilizes an operator-led business model where the developer manages generation and operations while paying a fixed monthly distribution usage fee to the utility.

The report addresses the vulnerability of energy infrastructure in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to extreme weather, arguing that while solar PV is a cost-effective alternative to imported fossil fuels, it requires specific engineering and policy standards to survive Category 5 hurricanes. Based on field analyses of failures from 2017–2019, the authors recommend moving away from shared top-down clips toward through-bolting and dual post piers for ground systems, and prohibiting ballasted-only rooftop systems. Implementing these resilience measures is estimated to increase engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) costs by approximately 5%, a cost offset by avoiding total system rebuilds. The report emphasizes multi-stakeholder collaboration and the integration of high-wind standards into local building codes to ensure long-term energy security.

The report identifies immediate opportunities to electrify agricultural processing in Nigeria, categorizing activities into three tiers of readiness. Tier 1 activities—cassava grating, rice milling, and flour milling—are deemed immediately viable, capable of reducing mini-grid tariffs by up to 26% if all three are implemented. The study proposes the 'Facilitator Model' for Tier 1 and the 'Processing Center Model' for Tier 2 to address barriers such as lack of credit and reliable electricity. A deployment strategy is recommended to unlock commercial finance through credit guarantees and grants, with an estimated national investment of under $30 million required for Tier 1 activities.

The document argues that renewable energy (RE), particularly in hybrid systems combining solar or wind with diesel or grid power, is increasingly viable for the mining sector. While RE requires higher initial capital expenditure (capex) compared to diesel, it offers lower operating expenditure (opex) and protects mines from fuel price volatility over a 20-year period. Key challenges include the intermittent nature of RE, which necessitates energy storage or hybrid configurations to meet the constant 24-hour baseload demand of mines, and a shortage of skilled technicians for installation at remote sites. The brief highlights a trend toward self-generation in South Africa and the potential for portable RE systems to support exploration. It recommends promoting RE for extraction efficiency, developing mobile solar systems, expanding specialized technical education, and utilizing post-mining land for community or utility RE projects.

Mighty Earth argues that the Matarbari coal plant project in Bangladesh is a 'disaster' characterized by cost overruns, high pollution levels, and human rights concerns. The document highlights that solar energy is a cheaper and cleaner alternative and asserts that the project violates Japan's own climate commitments under the Paris Agreement and its Fifth Strategic Energy Plan.

The Life After Coal Campaign argues that the Draft Regulations Amending the Electricity Regulations on New Generation Capacity, 2011 are redundant and legally inconsistent. They contend that the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) does not require Ministerial approval for municipalities to establish electricity capacity, and that such regulations create unnecessary barriers to the urgent transition to clean energy. The document highlights the severe health, environmental, and economic harms of South Africa's coal-dependent energy sector and criticizes the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019 for unjustifiably constraining renewable energy while permitting new coal and gas capacity. The campaign recommends that if the regulations proceed, they must include requirements for environmental and health impact assessments, transparent public consultation, and financial support for under-resourced municipalities.

The report finds that China's labeled green bond market grew rapidly to become the world's second largest by 2019, reaching approximately $120 billion. While it has successfully attracted new issuers and funded significant projects in clean transport and energy, the market faces challenges including low international investor participation, a lack of standardized environmental reporting, and a high concentration of high-credit-rated large issuers. The report suggests unifying regulatory rules, expanding the issuer base to include more private enterprises, and strengthening monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems to improve transparency.

Between January 1 and June 15, 2020, China experienced a surge in coal power development, with 17.0 GW of capacity approved and 40.8 GW planned. This trend is driven by local government efforts to stimulate GDP and economic growth following the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than actual energy demand. The report highlights that China already faces an estimated 400 GW of excess coal capacity, and this new expansion contradicts global trends and IPCC targets to limit warming to 1.5°C.

Between January 1 and June 15, 2020, China saw a significant increase in coal plant development, with 249.6 GW of capacity under development, a 21% increase over end-2019. This boom is driven by economic stimulus efforts to offset COVID-19 impacts and a relaxation of the central government's 'traffic light policy', despite an existing estimated 400 GW of excess coal-fired capacity. While some new plants are intended for long-distance transmission to the coast, the majority risk exacerbating the country's overcapacity crisis and hindering global climate targets.

The SAVi assessment finds that the Kalivaç and Poçem hydropower projects (HPPs) are uneconomic, producing higher costs and societal burdens than benefits. When integrating externalities, the HPPs' levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) is more than 2.5 times higher than that of solar PV. The report highlights significant negative externalities, particularly the loss of agricultural land and tourism potential along the Vjosa River, and notes that the projects are not financially attractive at domestic electricity prices of EUR 55/MWh.

The report proposes a 'green stimulus' for the Caribbean focusing on distributed energy resources (DERs) to combat pandemic-related job losses and long-term economic vulnerability. It identifies solar PV, wind, electric vehicles (EVs), and energy efficiency as high-impact sectors for immediate employment. Beyond jobs, the document highlights how DERs improve resilience against hurricanes and economic shocks, while enabling economic diversification in sectors like agro-industry by lowering energy costs.

The Rajkot Municipal Corporation, with support from the CapaCITIES project, installed a 145 kWp grid-connected solar PV system at the Aji water treatment plant. The installation, costing INR 8.5 million, was co-financed by the municipality and CapaCITIES. Between July 2018 and August 2019, the system generated 224,150 kWp of electricity and mitigated 184 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, providing nearly one-fifth of the plant's power needs. The project used online software for real-time monitoring of power generation and monetary savings, which helped build a business case for scaling the solution. Following this success, the municipality proposed a 250 kWp system at the Rajyadhar wastewater treatment plant and commissioned a feasibility study for other plants in the city.

The report analyzes the financial feasibility of decentralized renewable energy (DRE) in Indonesia, specifically in underserved regions like Sumba Island. It identifies four primary barriers to private investment: regulatory constraints regarding business area permits, the unattractiveness of small-scale projects due to low returns and off-taker uncertainty, limited access to innovative financing from local banks, and a lack of risk-mitigation instruments. To address these, the authors propose four business models: joint ventures with Village-Owned Enterprises (VOEs), Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) using availability payments, joint ventures with Locally Owned Enterprises (LOEs), and a Special Allocation Fund mechanism with joint operations. Additionally, the report suggests financial instruments such as risk pooling, asset-backed securities, and guarantee instruments to improve the risk-return profile for investors.

The report examines the increasing need for energy resilience in the Upper Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado, following the 2018 Lake Christine Fire. It argues that traditional grid hardening and backup generators are insufficient and proposes a shift toward distributed energy resources (DERs) and community-centric planning. Through a partnership between Holy Cross Energy (HCE) and local stakeholders, the report identifies five priority resilience areas: community microgrids, bulk power supply flexibility, mobile generation fleets, gasoline pump resilience, and critical end-use efficiency. It emphasizes the need for 'blue sky' value—benefits during normal operations—to justify the cost of 'black sky' emergency investments and recommends new business models, such as split ownership and updated tariffs, to facilitate the deployment of clean energy resilience solutions.

South Korean public finance institutions have invested $5.6 billion in overseas coal plants, primarily in Vietnam and Indonesia, creating a significant risk of stranded assets. This trend persists despite the Democratic Party's Green New Deal promising a phase-out of such financing and a global decline in private coal funding. The economic viability of coal is deteriorating as solar and wind power costs fall, with projections that renewables will be cheaper than existing coal in Southeast Asia by 2028. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has depressed electricity demand and caused construction delays, further destabilizing these investments.