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In the first half of 2025, global solar and wind generation grew sufficiently to meet and exceed total electricity demand growth, leading to renewables overtaking coal in the global electricity mix for the first time. Solar generation saw record absolute growth, while total fossil fuel generation declined slightly. Consequently, global CO2 emissions from the power sector fell marginally by 0.2%, although results varied by region, with emissions decreasing in China and India but increasing in the US and EU.

In the first half of 2025, global solar and wind generation grew sufficiently to exceed total electricity demand growth, leading to renewables overtaking coal's share of the global electricity mix for the first time on record. While China and India saw declines in fossil fuel generation and emissions, the US and EU experienced increases due to demand growth outpacing clean energy in the US and unfavorable weather affecting wind and hydro in the EU.

Spain has significantly lowered its wholesale electricity prices by decoupling them from volatile fossil fuel costs through the expansion of wind and solar capacity. In the first half of 2025, Spain's wholesale prices were 32% lower than the EU average, with the share of hours where prices were tied to gas costs dropping from 75% in 2019 to 19% in 2025. However, a blackout on April 28, 2025, led to a 'reinforced mode' of grid operation that increased reliance on gas for stability services. This resulted in the cost of grid balancing doubling in May 2025 and renewable curtailment tripling from 1.8% to 7.2% between May and July 2025. The report highlights a lag in investment in battery storage and grid-enhancing technologies, noting that Spain's 120 MW battery fleet is only the 13th largest in Europe despite being the 4th largest power market. To address this, Spain is implementing reforms, including adding eight synchronous compensators to the mainland grid and expanding its battery storage pipeline.

The document assesses the current state and future trajectory of solar and wind energy in Colombia, noting a rise in installed capacity to 9% of the electricity matrix by 2024 and a target of 20,000 energy communities by 2026. It highlights a significant drop in renewable investment between 2022 and 2023 and identifies a funding gap of up to USD 92.4 billion to meet National Energy Plan goals, while emphasizing the need for justice and equity strategies for local communities.

The document examines Namibia's transition toward becoming an oil exporter, highlighting the gap between government growth targets and industry realities. While significant offshore discoveries have been made, the report warns that relying on fossil fuels may divert resources from sustainable development and renewable energy, especially as global demand declines and technical challenges persist.

Between 2019 and 2023, Indonesia's power sector saw total reported investments of USD 38.02 billion, with fossil fuels (FF) dominating at 62% of the share. The report highlights a significant gap in 'unreported' investment in captive coal-fired power plants (CFPPs), estimated at USD 10.63 billion. While renewable energy (RE) investment reached USD 8.85 billion, it remains concentrated in baseload sources like hydropower and geothermal. Private international financial institutions are the primary drivers of fossil fuel investment, whereas RE is increasingly supported by domestic private sources. Analysis of PLN reveals that coal plants account for 46% of annual operating costs, and PLN-owned solar plants suffer from severe inefficiency with a capacity factor of only 4% compared to a 16% benchmark.

The Community Equity Opportunity Fund (CEOF), led by Meliquina Partners, is a blended finance facility designed to overcome capital and governance barriers that exclude rural and Indigenous communities from the economic benefits of the energy transition in Latin America. By providing milestone-based development loans and catalytic equity, the fund enables community co-ownership of renewable energy projects from early development through operations. The model includes a mechanism for communities to execute a leveraged buyout (LBO) of the fund's equity position approximately two years after the commercial operation date, supported by external credit guarantees. Targeting a fund size of USD 35-40 million, CEOF aims to invest in six to eight projects (15-100 MW each) in Argentina and Colombia, with a projected mobilization ratio of 10:1 for commercial capital. The fund's impact goals include avoiding 417,000 tCO2e annually and creating over 3,200 job-years over 25 years, with a specific gender strategy targeting 40% female representation in the workforce.

Between 2017 and 2022, Viet Nam's power sector saw a total of USD 64 billion in reported investment, with renewable energy (RE) dominating at 64.54% (USD 41.3 billion) compared to fossil fuels (FF) at 35.13% (USD 22.5 billion). RE growth was primarily driven by generous Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) and domestic private investment, which provided approximately 80% of RE finance. In contrast, FF finance was dominated by international sources, particularly Japan for coal. While gas investment surged in 2021 as a transitional fuel, coal investment ceased in 2022 following net-zero commitments. Despite RE growth, a significant financing gap remains; BloombergNEF estimates an annual requirement of USD 30.7 billion to meet a net-zero scenario by 2030, far exceeding the USD 6 billion invested in 2023.

The document evaluates the role of bioenergy in the energy transition, specifically critiquing the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario for its heavy reliance on biomass. It argues that solid biomass creates a 'carbon debt' and threatens biodiversity, while biogas and biofuels often have greenhouse gas intensities comparable to fossil fuels due to land-use change and methane leaks. Reclaim Finance concludes that bioenergy should not be included in sustainable financing frameworks, as it competes with wind and solar power and risks prolonging the use of fossil gas infrastructure.

The report proposes a cost-optimal energy pathway for Thailand that exceeds the Revised Power Development Plan (RPDP) targets by adding 32 GW of solar and 6 GW/15 GWh of battery storage by 2037. This shift would result in cumulative cost savings of $1.8 billion and avoid 147 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. The analysis suggests that Thailand can meet its demand without adding 2 GW of planned natural gas capacity, as solar and batteries can cover growth from data centres and EV charging. While wind power is deemed financially unviable unless capital expenditures drop by 10% annually, the report suggests importing hydropower from Lao PDR as a cost-effective alternative to wind, despite risks related to import dependency and climate-driven droughts.

The report proposes a cost-optimal energy pathway for Thailand through 2037, suggesting that increasing solar capacity by 89% and battery storage by 60% relative to the draft revised power development plan (RPDP) 2024 can save $1.8 billion in power generation costs. This pathway aims to meet rising electricity demand from data centres (projected 10 TWh increase) and electric vehicles (projected 3.3 GW peak load increase) while reducing natural gas imports by 1,815 billion cubic feet. The analysis finds that wind energy is not financially viable without a 10% annual CAPEX reduction, suggesting imported hydropower from Lao PDR as a more cost-effective alternative.

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.

The analysis compares four scenarios for Africa's emissions: Business-as-usual (BAU), Net-zero by 2050 (NZ50), Net-zero by 2070 (NZ70), and Net-zero by 2100 (NZ100). While all net-zero pathways see renewables become the dominant energy source and a sharp fall in fossil fuel reliance, the timing of the transition creates significant trade-offs. The NZ50 scenario achieves the fastest emissions decline, reaching -0.33 GtCO₂/yr by 2050, but incurs the highest marginal abatement cost (averaging $78 per ton of CO₂) and causes the most disruption to food systems, including a 31% contraction in cropland and a near doubling of staple food prices. All net-zero scenarios rely on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), which shifts water demand from agriculture to the energy sector. Regional challenges vary, with Western Africa facing steep decarbonization due to oil and gas reliance, and Southern Africa managing a coal-dependent system.

In August 2025, wind and solar power generated 34% of Brazil's electricity, totaling 19.0 TWh, the highest monthly share on record. This growth has allowed Brazil to maintain low fossil fuel generation (14% in August 2025) despite hydro output hitting a four-year low of 27 TWh due to drought. Between 2014 and 2024, wind and solar generation increased fifteenfold, contributing to a 31% decline in power sector emissions to 79 MtCO2 in 2024. While demand growth has accelerated to 5.3% in 2024, solar capacity additions slowed in the first half of 2025 to 7.1 GW due to grid congestion and regulatory uncertainty.

Kotzebue, Alaska, a remote community of 3,000 people, has transitioned from total reliance on diesel generators to a diversified energy mix including wind, solar, and battery storage. By implementing utility-scale wind generation—a first within the Arctic Circle—and a 1 MW solar array, the town has displaced 350,000–400,000 gallons of diesel annually. These efforts aim to insulate the community from volatile global fuel prices and seasonal supply constraints, with a target of 50 to 60 percent renewable generation by 2030.

China is rapidly transitioning its energy system through massive investment in renewables, grid infrastructure, and whole-economy electrification. This shift is moving China toward a peak in fossil fuel use and is driving down the global cost of clean technologies, enabling emerging markets to leapfrog traditional development paths and potentially triggering a structural decline in global fossil fuel demand by 2030.

China is transitioning from a focus on adding renewable capacity to building a "new electricity system" that integrates high levels of variable energy. In 2024, China invested $625 billion USD in clean energy, significantly outpacing other major regions. This shift, combined with expanding electrification in industry, transport, and buildings, is contributing to a structural decline in fossil fuel generation. By the first half of 2025, combined wind and solar generation surpassed the combined output of hydro, nuclear, and bioenergy, and total installed capacity for these sources exceeded that of coal for the first time.

China's massive scale in producing solar, wind, batteries, and electric vehicles has significantly lowered global costs, with solar module prices falling over 70% between 2022 and mid-2025. This manufacturing capacity allows China to potentially supply the entire world's solar needs for 2030 as defined by the IEA. These affordable technologies are facilitating an 'energy leapfrog' in emerging markets across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where some countries now have higher solar shares in power generation than the US. Consequently, China's own fossil fuel demand is approaching a plateau, and the global demand for fossil fuels is projected to be in structural decline by 2030.

The report analyzes climate finance flows in Southeast Asia, finding a heavy reliance on international capital despite growing domestic interest. It focuses on Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, identifying that while corporates are the primary local investors, institutional and financial institutions remain underutilized due to risk perceptions and loan tenor mismatches. The document argues that blended finance—through guarantees, technical assistance, and project aggregation—can catalyze local investment in nature-based solutions, adaptation, and utility-scale renewables.

The briefing argues that nuclear power is an impractical solution for near-term climate targets in Europe and Australia due to systemic delays, high costs, and a high rate of project cancellations. In Europe, utility-scale wind and solar capacity under construction or in pre-construction outweighs nuclear by fourteen to one, and solar generation surpassed nuclear in the EU for the first time in mid-2025. In Australia, the document concludes that nuclear is unlikely to replace coal by 2038 because construction timelines—estimated by CSIRO to be at least five years longer than the global average—would require groundbreaking by the end of 2025. Globally, the Global Nuclear Power Tracker indicates that 38% of all proposed nuclear capacity (566 GW) has been cancelled.