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In 2025, Nigeria transitioned from policy ambition to implementation through the introduction of the National Integrated Electricity Policy, the launch of the Nigerian Climate Investment Platform, and the submission of its NDC 3.0. Key energy initiatives include the National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative and the Nigeria Electrification Project, while the Nigerian Gas Flaring Commercialisation Programme targets emissions reductions within the hydrocarbons sector.

In 2025, Nigeria transitioned from policy ambition to concrete implementation of its climate agenda through the introduction of the National Integrated Electricity Policy, the launch of the Nigerian Climate Investment Platform, and the submission of its NDC 3.0. Key energy initiatives include the National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative and the expansion of mini-grids via the Nigeria Electrification Project. The country also established a National Carbon Market Framework and advanced the Nigerian Gas Flaring Commercialisation Programme to reduce emissions while boosting power generation.

Conflict in the Middle East is disrupting critical energy imports to Bangladesh, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, leading to fuel rationing, power cuts, and industrial shutdowns. ZCA analysis indicates that sustained high prices for oil, gas, and coal could increase Bangladesh's annual fossil fuel import bill by USD 4.8 billion (a 40% increase from 2025 levels), further straining foreign exchange reserves. The document argues that this recurring volatility, echoing the shocks from the Russia-Ukraine war, underscores the urgent need for Bangladesh to pivot toward renewable energy to avoid long-term fiscal distress and energy insecurity.

Vietnam's solar power generation helps the country avoid approximately USD 594 million in fossil fuel import costs during the current energy price surge driven by the Iran war. While Vietnam leads Southeast Asia in solar and wind shares, it continues to prioritize coal and gas in its long-term power planning, increasing its vulnerability to global price shocks.

A conflict in the Middle East involving Israel, the US, and Iran has caused global fossil fuel supply disruptions, leading to a nearly 50% increase in European gas prices in early March 2026. The briefing highlights that the EU's fossil import bill rose by an estimated €2.5 billion in the first ten days of the crisis. It argues that countries with high gas reliance for electricity, such as Italy, are most exposed to price spikes, while those that have decoupled gas from electricity prices, like Spain, are more resilient. The author contends that electricity market reforms or removing carbon costs (EU-ETS) are less effective than investing in renewables and clean flexibility to ensure long-term energy security.

A conflict in the Middle East in March 2026 caused European gas prices to spike by nearly 50%, increasing the EU's fossil import bill by €2.5 billion in ten days. The report highlights that countries with lower gas reliance, such as Spain, are more insulated from electricity price hikes than gas-heavy markets like Italy. It argues against suspending carbon costs under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, noting that gas volatility has a far greater impact on bills than carbon pricing.

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.

Centrica plc denies allegations from ClientEarth that it is suppressing heat pump adoption, asserting its role as a major UK provider with a target of 20,000 annual sales by 2030. The company defends its historical involvement in hydrogen campaigns and rejects claims of anti-competitive behavior, while highlighting its commitment to net zero targets for operations by 2040 and customers by 2050.

The document examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in overcoming the technical challenges of integrating variable renewable energy (VRE) in Southeast Asia. It highlights five commercially proven AI applications: improving forecast accuracy to reduce reserve needs, enabling predictive maintenance to extend asset life, optimising dispatch to lower balancing costs, providing real-time control for grid security, and supporting dynamic line rating (DLR) to increase transmission capacity. The report provides global case studies—including examples from Google DeepMind, Siemens, and various utilities in the US, UK, and Belgium—to demonstrate how AI can reduce operational costs, curtailment, and carbon footprints while enhancing the reliability of power grids facing high VRE penetration.

WRI India and the Tamil Nadu government developed a Climate Resilient Village model to address vulnerabilities such as extreme heat, droughts, cyclones, and flooding. The program was scaled across 11 districts, benefiting nearly 2.7 million people through a combination of infrastructure improvements, renewable energy, and waste management. Key interventions included solar panel installations, canal restoration, and the creation of jobs in recycling for marginalized groups. The Tamil Nadu government has since integrated these solutions into its broader state climate and restoration strategies.

The briefing examines the US$107 billion in potential investment for LNG terminals and gas pipelines in Southern Asia, specifically India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. While industry forecasts predict strong demand growth, Global Energy Monitor (GEM) finds that these countries have shelved or cancelled 2–3 times as much proposed LNG import capacity as they have brought online over the last decade. The document highlights that LNG remains uncompetitive against falling renewable power costs and that recent geopolitical shocks, such as the March 2026 conflict in Iran affecting the Strait of Hormuz, underscore the energy security risks of LNG dependence. While India continues to promote gas infrastructure, Pakistan has shifted toward domestic power and local gas exploration, and Bangladesh's new government signals a move toward renewables and domestic gas.

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 global pipeline for wind and utility-scale solar projects grew by 11% in 2025, reaching 4.9 TW. While China and India lead in construction and prospective capacity, G7 nations show stagnant growth in their pipelines, creating a gap in meeting the COP28 goal to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030.

Ember argues that large-scale biomass power is incompatible with UK carbon budgets due to high emissions and import reliance. It recommends capping generation at Drax and Lynemouth, shifting to domestic feedstock, and scaling up low-carbon alternatives like wind, solar, and batteries.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy chokepoint through which approximately 20% of the world's oil and LNG flows. Japan, South Korea, India, and China are the most exposed, collectively accounting for 75% of oil and 59% of LNG flows through the route. Japan is identified as the most at-risk country due to its extreme reliance on imported fossil fuels. A blockade could trigger global price surges, potentially pushing oil to USD 130 or even USD 300 per barrel. The document suggests that transitioning to renewables and electrification, as seen in Europe's response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, is essential to mitigate these geopolitical risks.

Renewvia deployed a 75-connection Okra mesh-grid in Emakalakala, Nigeria, in 2024 to address system-wide blackouts and high costs associated with its existing mini-grids. The mesh-grid pilot achieved 99.1% uptime, reduced capex per connection by approximately 50%, and shortened the payback period by 3 years. These results led Renewvia to shift its strategy toward a pipeline of over 21,000 mesh-grid connections over the next 18 months and the launch of an appliance financing pilot.

The document examines the trend of ASEAN countries increasing LNG import infrastructure, with planned investments of USD 20.4 billion. It argues that LNG fails to provide true energy security due to its sensitivity to geopolitical shocks, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and tensions in the Middle East, and competition for supply with Europe. The author suggests that Southeast Asian nations should instead prioritize domestic renewable energy, leverage their own solar manufacturing capacity, and accelerate the ASEAN Power Grid to enhance resilience and reduce import dependency.

The authors argue that traditional 'primary energy' accounting is flawed because it ignores energy quality and conversion losses, creating a 'primary energy fallacy'. By reframing the system from the consumer's perspective and focusing on 'flows' (change) rather than 'stocks' (totals), the paper identifies four 'battles' of the energy transition. It concludes that 'electrotech' is winning the battles for electron supply, useful work, and useful heat due to superior thermodynamic efficiency, which significantly reduces the total primary energy required to meet human development needs.

The case study argues that productive use of renewable electricity (PURE) requires more than infrastructure, necessitating trust, capacity development, and appropriate financing. In Guatemala, technical assistance and financing for agricultural and commercial equipment helped young women increase revenue by over 30%. In Zambia, a solar-powered agro-processing hub utilizing zero-cost lease agreements for milling entrepreneurs showed a 38% margin based on energy cost savings compared to diesel. These findings suggest that risk-sharing and technical support are essential for scaling productive loads, insights which are being applied to future initiatives in Haiti.