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India's energy transition is heavily driven by solar power, but thermal energy still meets approximately 80% of demand during non-solar hours. The report highlights that wind energy provides critical diurnal, seasonal, and spatial complementarity to solar, which can stabilize the grid and lower tariffs through hybrid projects. To meet the 14th National Electricity Plan (NEP14) targets by 2032, India must add 122 GW of wind capacity, requiring a 22% year-on-year growth rate. The document outlines policy interventions such as revised Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO), repowering older turbines, and the development of offshore wind in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, while noting that state-level policy gaps and land acquisition remain significant hurdles.

Clean energy investment in the U.S. more than tripled between 2018 and 2023, reaching nearly $248 billion annually. Investment is concentrated in the South and West, with zero-emission vehicles, solar power, and wind power serving as the primary drivers of growth across different regions and states.

The study finds that WACC in Africa's power sector remains high compared to global benchmarks, driven primarily by a cost of equity that is on average double the cost of debt. While WACC is projected to decrease from 18% to 13% by 2070, significant regional disparities persist, with Eastern Africa facing the highest costs and Northern Africa the lowest. The authors argue that using uniform cost of capital assumptions leads to underestimation bias in energy costs and misguides policy, particularly for capital-intensive clean energy projects.

In 2023, IDFC members committed $199 billion in green finance, a 31% decrease from 2022, largely due to currency depreciation in East Asia and the Pacific and the adoption of more conservative tracking methodologies. Climate finance dominated at 98% of total green finance, with mitigation accounting for 89% of that amount. Adaptation finance fell significantly to $10.5 billion, while biodiversity finance reached its lowest level since 2020 at $8.2 billion. The report emphasizes the role of public development banks (PDBs) in providing transformative finance and calls for the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG) to integrate 'transformational criteria' to better catalyze private investment.

Climate finance in Africa grew by 48% between 2019/20 and 2021/22, reaching USD 43.7 billion, yet this remains only 23% of the annual funding required to meet 2030 NDC goals. Public finance dominates the landscape, providing 82% of total flows, while private finance is heavily concentrated in energy systems and a small number of countries. The report highlights a critical 'trilemma' where climate-vulnerable countries are often simultaneously debt-distressed and conflict-affected, further hindering their access to grants and affordable capital. Key recommendations include reforming domestic fiscal policies to remove fossil fuel subsidies, scaling the use of guarantees to de-risk private investment, and leveraging domestic institutional assets, such as pension funds, to reduce reliance on international debt.

The briefing examines the expansion of LNG infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting significant planned investments in Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. It argues that these projects risk becoming stranded assets and conflict with global climate goals to limit warming to 1.5°C, suggesting that the region should instead prioritize its abundant renewable energy resources.

Since 2023, Chinese firms have committed over US$100 billion in outbound foreign direct investment (OFDI) across at least 130 major cleantech transactions, spanning solar, wind, batteries, and new energy vehicles (NEVs). This 'going global' strategy is driven by domestic overcapacity, which has caused solar module prices to drop 60% and battery prices 50% year-on-year, and a need to circumvent trade barriers from the US and EU. The report highlights China's dominance in the global battery supply chain, where it holds over 80% of manufacturing capacity, and its expansion into markets like Morocco, Brazil, and Thailand. For Australia, the report notes that Chinese OFDI reached a multi-decade low of US$613 million in 2023, and argues that Australia should clarify its foreign investment rules to attract Chinese private capital for onshore value-adding in critical minerals and renewable energy infrastructure.

The document examines the ecological footprint of e-commerce, highlighting carbon emissions from logistics, packaging waste, and the impact of high product return rates. It argues that sustainability requires a coordinated effort: governments must implement green regulations and urban planning; the private sector should optimize supply chains and adopt renewable energy; and consumers must shift away from impulsive, high-frequency purchasing. The author emphasizes the need for better data collection and international cooperation, particularly to support developing nations in building sustainable digital infrastructures.

The document examines the complementary strengths of China, as a global leader in green technology manufacturing, and Africa, which possesses vast renewable energy potential and critical mineral reserves. It highlights the shift in China's approach toward treating Africa as a business partner and details the specific clean energy commitments made during FOCAC 2024. However, it argues that Africa must enhance its own internal resource mobilization, reduce dependency on external aid, and improve project implementation timelines to fully realize these opportunities.

Mongolia possesses significant solar and wind potential, estimated at 2,600 GW, yet renewable energy only accounted for approximately 9% of total electricity production in 2023. The government aims to increase the installed capacity of renewables to 30% by 2030 under the 'Vision-2050' long-term development policy. While 12 solar and wind projects were active in 2023 with total investments of 533.15 million USD, the sector faces challenges in gender equality, with female representation generally below global averages. Current policy is governed by the Energy Law (2001) and the Law on Renewable Energy (2007), with specific tariffs set for wind (up to 0.08 USD/kWh) and solar (up to 0.12 USD/kWh) as of 2019.

The document identifies significant obstacles to Colombia's transition from thermal coal, including high fiscal dependence on coal exports and royalties, limited local institutional capacity, and inadequate environmental regulations for mine closures. It highlights the vulnerability of the Cesar and La Guajira regions, where coal provides a substantial portion of departmental revenue and high-paying employment. The brief argues that a just transition requires inclusive stakeholder dialogue, permanent funding mechanisms for productive conversion, and the protection of civic space for marginalized groups, including Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities.

The document identifies significant obstacles to Colombia's transition from thermal coal, including heavy fiscal dependence on coal royalties, weak subnational institutional capacities, and long-term environmental liabilities. It emphasizes that while the national government has made commitments, local regions like Cesar and La Guajira face severe risks from unplanned mine closures and a lack of diversified economic alternatives. The brief recommends establishing a permanent transition fund, strengthening local government competencies, and ensuring inclusive planning that protects the rights of Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities.

The document analyzes Colombia's electricity balance through 2038, finding that while average energy supply remains sufficient, 'firm energy' (reliable capacity) faces deficits as early as 2029 depending on the coal phase-out scenario. To avoid these deficits, the report argues for significantly accelerating renewable energy deployment, improving transmission infrastructure, and implementing energy storage to replace the high reliability of coal plants.

The report argues that the global push to triple renewable energy capacity must prioritize the quality of investments over quantity to avoid 'green extractivism'. It introduces three core criteria for public finance: driving a 100% renewable future by phasing out fossil fuels, ensuring democratic energy systems through grants and decentralization, and centering human rights and nature. The document criticizes multilateral development banks (MDBs) for continuing to fund fossil gas and relying on debt-creating loans rather than grants. Through case studies in India, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Indonesia, it contrasts the harms of large-scale, profit-driven projects with the benefits of community-led, small-scale renewable energy solutions.

The document evaluates three industry-proposed methods for reducing carbon emissions from gas plants: hydrogen cofiring, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and biomethane. It concludes that these approaches often fail to achieve targeted emissions reductions when full life cycle impacts—such as upstream methane leakage, energy penalties, and production emissions—are considered. Furthermore, the brief argues that these technologies perpetuate environmental and social inequities by maintaining the operation of gas plants. In contrast, the report finds that transitioning to renewable energy sources like wind and solar provides superior reductions in carbon, air, and water pollution while offering lower costs and fewer land-use impacts.

G20 governments provided at least USD 168 billion in public financial support for renewable power in 2023, which is less than one third of the USD 535 billion provided in fossil fuel subsidies that same year. Advanced G20 economies and China provided 95% of this support, primarily targeting solar and wind energy. To achieve the COP 28 goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, annual public support may need to double to approximately USD 336 billion.

The EU is experiencing a surge in solar and wind power, which frequently exceeds demand during peak hours, leading to price volatility and negative electricity prices. While renewables are growing, the lack of system flexibility—such as battery storage and interconnectors—forces a continued reliance on fossil fuels during evenings and early mornings. The report highlights that by 2030, excess wind and solar power could reach 183 TWh across the EU, potentially saving €9 billion in annual gas costs if shifted effectively. It specifically notes Germany's role as a leader in battery capacity and suggests that further additions could significantly displace hard coal and gas. The document recommends removing regulatory barriers to co-location, implementing national flexibility strategies in National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), and establishing a comprehensive EU strategy for clean flexibility.

The Colorado Energy Siting Coalition outlines the necessity of expanding renewable energy to meet state climate goals and discusses how SB24-212 provides technical resources and guidance to overcome local siting and permitting barriers.

The UK officially entered a coal-free power era on 1 October 2024 with the closure of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar plant. This transition saw power sector emissions drop by 74% between 2012 and 2023, driven by a combination of carbon pricing, renewable energy growth, and grid investment. The report argues that while the coal phase-out provides a roadmap, the next goal of clean power by 2030 will require a more complex whole-systems approach to displace gas and manage grid stability.

The West Africa Utilities Roundtable identified four primary obstacles to establishing reliable, low-carbon energy systems in the region: energy system inefficiencies (technical and commercial losses), challenges in integrating variable renewables energy (VRE), lack of financial sustainability, and aging infrastructure. To address these, the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is conducting research on the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) across 48 African countries to attract investment and reviewing energy transition models to ensure a broader range of technologies and socio-economic factors are considered in Africa-focused research.