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The document analyzes the 2026 State of the European Union address, emphasizing that while the EU has made progress in clean electricity, it now faces a critical 'delivery' phase. It argues for a diverse energy mix including clean firm power, the acceleration of grid expansion to resolve connection bottlenecks, and the use of the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank to move projects to final investment decisions. Additionally, it stresses the importance of maintaining strong methane regulations and creating lead markets for low-carbon products to ensure industrial competitiveness and energy security.

The report identifies a 'planning gap' in deregulated U.S. power markets where short-term wholesale price signals and Clean Electricity Standards (CES) fail to incentivize long-lead time, capital-intensive technologies like nuclear, geothermal, and long-duration energy storage. To address this, the authors propose a 'hybrid market' approach called state-led planning, which consists of three core components: system needs assessments, technology development roadmaps, and state-led procurement. This framework allows states to provide the long-term revenue certainty required by investors while maintaining the operational efficiencies of competitive wholesale markets. The report highlights Illinois's Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act as a primary example of this approach in practice and discusses the role of FERC Order 1920 in improving regional transmission planning.

The paper argues that many large technology companies improperly apply market-based accounting to scope 3 emissions, creating a gap between reported reductions and actual environmental impact. It recommends that location-based accounting remain the primary basis for scope 3 reporting and Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) accounting, while suggesting that market-based accounting—specifically when paired with hourly matching and new Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) on the local grid—should only serve as a complementary ledger.

The study finds a significant disconnect between the design and implementation of water, energy, and food policies in four Sub-Saharan African countries. While policies appear aligned on paper, particularly regarding water management, fragmented energy market instruments and sustainable agriculture policies create regulatory uncertainty that hinders investment and resource management.

The analysis finds that if approximately 2,430 large companies (consuming over 100 GWh/year) adopted the RAcc model, the resulting demand would cover about 66% of global commercial and industrial electricity consumption and avoid 5.5 billion tCO2e annually. The report identifies a tipping point where adoption by the top 20% of these companies (~539 organizations) would exceed existing global renewable energy supply, necessitating the construction of new renewable generation capacity.

The report proposes a tripartite contracting model for Europe, where a state-backed intermediary connects clean energy suppliers and industrial consumers. This mechanism aims to solve structural barriers in bilateral Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), such as creditworthiness requirements for SMEs and the mismatch between variable renewable generation and industrial baseload demand. By pooling diverse technologies—including renewables, storage, and clean firm capacity—the intermediary can offer 24/7 clean power products and absorb counterparty risk. The document outlines an implementation roadmap involving the European Commission and Member States, emphasizing the need for harmonized Guarantees of Origin, improved two-sided Contracts for Difference (CfDs) design, and integrated grid planning.

The report finds that Canadian provinces are generally underplanning for industrial electricity demand and lagging in system flexibility and transmission build-out compared to international peers. While hydro-led provinces like Quebec and British Columbia have inherent flexibility advantages, non-hydro jurisdictions like Alberta and Ontario need to proactively build capacity. The report recommends that the federal government support interprovincial energy planning, deploy the national balance sheet for anticipatory grid build-out, implement flexible Clean Electricity Regulations, and prioritize system flexibility in federal programs.

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 policy brief proposes ten strategic principles for governments to unlock business investment in clean electrification. These include setting clear targets, reforming financial incentives to remove fossil fuel subsidies, modernizing electricity grids, and streamlining permitting processes. The document emphasizes that coordinated international signals and integrated industrial strategies are necessary to reduce policy uncertainty and overcome barriers such as high upfront costs and skilled labor shortages, aiming for electricity to account for approximately 35% of global final energy use by 2035.

The report presents a business case for transitioning to an electrified economy, asserting that electricity is becoming the foundation for global economic growth. It highlights that electrification is the most efficient route to decarbonization, capable of displacing approximately 60% of global fossil fuel use. The document outlines the benefits of electrification in terms of cost predictability, energy security, and public health, while identifying significant barriers such as distorted market incentives and a global skills gap. It proposes ten policy principles for governments to unlock business investment and introduces the 'Electric Advantage' program to coordinate business leadership in modernizing policy and scaling deployment.

The document argues that current annual matching for scope 2 emissions often overestimates renewable electricity use and fails to incentivise the deployment of new renewables. It proposes 'hourly matching' (or 24/7 reporting), where electricity consumption is matched with renewable generation in the same hour. While 100% hourly matching can be costly, the briefing suggests that targeting a range of 80-90% can maintain emission reduction benefits while reducing costs. The document notes that hourly matching is becoming more viable, with 45 operational projects across five continents and tariffs available for 73% of global electricity demand. It advocates for a phased implementation strategy to allow for necessary data and grid infrastructure upgrades.

In 2025, global coal capacity increased by 3.5% while production fell by 0.6%, as coal is increasingly used as 'system insurance' rather than a primary energy source. This trend is most prominent in China and India, where renewables are meeting new demand despite record coal plant commissioning. Globally, the number of countries proposing new coal plants dropped to 32. In Indonesia, coal expansion continues through 'captive' plants for nickel and aluminium industries, reaching 20 GW, while national energy plans (RUKN and RUPTL) are criticized for maintaining fossil fuel dependency and lacking a clear phase-out roadmap despite official net-zero commitments.

In 2025, global coal capacity increased by 3.5% while production fell by 0.6%, as coal is increasingly used as 'system insurance' rather than a primary energy source. While the number of countries pursuing new coal projects dropped to 32, China and India continue massive expansions. In Indonesia, the growth of captive coal plants for nickel and aluminium processing contradicts national climate commitments, with the RUPTL 2025-2034 continuing to plan for on-grid coal investment despite a formal moratorium.

The authors argue that Europe risks missing a strategic window to lead in geothermal energy due to insufficient political support and financial risks. They claim next-generation geothermal systems could generate 301 TWh of electricity annually in the EU, roughly 42% of current coal- and gas-fired generation. To unlock this, the letter calls for a dedicated EU geothermal de-risking facility for drilling, long-term revenue frameworks like two-way CfDs, streamlined permitting, and the creation of a European Geothermal Industry Alliance.

The report evaluates the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme, specifically Components A (decentralized solar plants) and C-FLS (feeder-level solarization). While these components offer significant benefits—including reliable daytime power for farmers, reduced agricultural subsidies for DISCOMs, and rural employment—they have seen low uptake, with only 7% and 34% achievement against targets respectively as of December 2025. Key barriers include a mismatch between regulatory tariffs and market costs, inadequate rural grid infrastructure, complex land acquisition and leasing laws, and poor institutional coordination between state agencies and distribution companies (DISCOMs). The report recommends shifting toward competitive bidding, implementing GIS-based land identification, adopting virtual feeder segregation via IoT, and enhancing the leadership role of DISCOMs in project implementation.

The document proposes tripartite contracts to address high electricity prices and market volatility in Europe, which currently hinder industrial decarbonisation. By placing a public contracting entity between clean energy generators and industrial consumers, these agreements aim to provide long-term revenue certainty for developers and fixed price certainty for industries. The brief highlights that while technologies for low- to medium-heat processes are ready, market gaps and electricity taxation remain barriers. It notes that the European Commission is developing such agreements for offshore wind, grids, and storage, drawing on practices from Spain, France, and Italy.

The briefing proposes Bring-Your-Own (BYO) tariffs to allow large energy users, such as data centers, to fund their own power resources to speed up grid connection and reduce financial risks for other ratepayers. It distinguishes these from 'baseline' tariffs and highlights specific examples of BYO and Clean Transition programs in the US, including initiatives by PJM, NV Energy, and Georgia Power.

The report argues that the AI industry uses a 'bait-and-switch' greenwashing tactic, where the proven climate benefits of 'traditional' AI (such as predictive models) are used to justify the massive energy and water consumption of 'consumer generative AI' (such as ChatGPT). An analysis of 154 climate benefit claims found that 97% related to traditional AI, while only 3% related to consumer generative AI, with no evidence found that the latter leads to substantial emissions reductions. Furthermore, the report finds that evidence for these benefits is generally weak, with 36% of claims citing no evidence and only 26% citing published academic research. This narrative masks the immediate climate impacts of data centre expansion, which the report states is boosting demand for fossil fuels and risking the ability of regions like Ireland and Australia to meet carbon targets.

The document positions renewable energy as a core pillar of Japan's national security, noting that the country's energy import dependency reached 87.4% in 2024. It argues that the current 7th Strategic Energy Plan is insufficient because it maintains high fossil fuel targets (30-40% by 2040) that conflict with 1.5°C climate goals. The author proposes a four-step policy framework—expanding grid capacity, accelerating permitting, expanding distributed energy, and utilizing long-term power purchase agreements—to achieve a clean energy ratio of 80% or more by 2040. This transition is estimated to potentially save up to 3.4 trillion yen in fossil fuel costs by 2035 and requires approximately 38 trillion yen in investment, which is roughly 25% of Japan's 150 trillion yen GX investment plan.

The report positions renewable energy expansion as a national security imperative for Japan, which had an energy import dependence of 87.4% in 2024. It argues that the current 7th Strategic Energy Plan is insufficient for the 1.5°C target and proposes a more ambitious pathway to reach 80-90% clean power by 2035-2040. Key recommendations include upscaling grid capacity, fast-tracking permitting, expanding distributed energy, and using long-term offtake agreements to lower capital costs. The document highlights Japan's potential in offshore wind, agrivoltaics, and perovskite solar cells as means to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels and Chinese crystalline-silicon PV.