-
Integrating Distributed Energy Resources in China
…flexible, efficient and resilient power system, provided their integration is well-managed.This report analyses recent trends in DER deployment across China and highlights the emerging challenges their growth poses for power system planning and operation, calling for renewed attention to distribution grids. It puts China’s development of DERs in international perspective by drawing on experiences from jurisdictions that are further along in their DER integration journey, such as Australia, Europe, Japan and the United States. Through cross-country comparison, the analysis identifies lessons and best practices that are relevant to China’s evolving power sector and regulatory landscape…
-
Grid investments
…to 2022, and can constrain industrial expansion. Implementing energy efficiency and demand response measures can decrease and shift peak demand to less congested periods when electricity prices are lower and there is less stress on grid infrastructure. Demand response has seen rising uptake around the world, but further electrification and demand decarbonisation are expected to significantly increase its importance. For instance, in Australia, where various mechanisms have been successfully demonstrated, the value of demand response capacity could reach USD 11 billion per year by 2042. Globally, it could provide up to 50% of short-term flexibility needs in 2050. Need more information?…
-
Health
…90% reported positive health impacts from energy efficiency interventions in buildings. The most frequently reported improvements are related to respiratory illnesses and general health, as well as mental health and life satisfaction. A closer look at wider health impacts Energy efficiency policies across the world have shown positive health impacts for the population. For instance, in a programme in Australia, 49% of participants reported better health due to efficient heating systems. In a South African programme, energy retrofits led to a 81% reduction in self-reported illness among households. Meanwhile, the evaluation of the Warm Up New Zealand Programme concluded…
-
Accelerating Renewables Growth in ASEAN
Challenges and policy suggestions Eight of the 11 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have adopted net zero emissions targets, and recent national energy plans outline substantially higher ambitions for renewable capacity. Achieving these goals will require timely, sustained and strongly co-ordinated policy action to unlock the scale of renewable energy deployment needed by 2030 and beyond.This report examines the key challenges hindering a faster capacity deployment of renewable power in ASEAN and outlines potential policy solutions informed by successful international experience. It also provides an assessment of renewable-energy auction design options, an…
-
Land-Use Competition between Biodiversity and Net Zero Goals
A case study of Canada Meeting global targets for energy, climate, and biodiversity conservation has major implications for land use. To ensure that the tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030 aligns with the goal of protecting 30% of the planet’s land and water by the same date, robust mechanisms that direct solar and wind projects away from the world’s most biodiverse areas are needed. To address the potential impacts of renewable development on biodiversity, the IEA developed the Renewable Energy and Land-Use Model (REALM), which identifies areas of overlap between renewable projects, critical mineral mining, and…
-
Integrating Solar and Wind in Southeast Asia
Status and outlook for secure and efficient strategies Southeast Asia is experiencing one of the fastest electricity demand growths globally, with consumption set to double by 2050. While renewable deployment has accelerated in recent years, the region’s growing reliance on imported fossil-fuels for electricity generation, exposes countries to volatile fuel prices, potential supply disruptions and rising emissions. At the same time, the region possesses vast and diverse renewable resource potential. Variable renewable energy (VRE) - solar and wind - are now among the most cost-competitive generation options and are playing an increasingly important role in the region’s power…
-
Southeast Asia Indicators Handbook for Just and Inclusive Transitions
Energy demand in Southeast Asia is growing, driven by rapidly growing population and economies, industrialisation and urbanisation. Many countries in the region have set out their own national decarbonisation targets and clean energy transitions commitments.Clean energy transitions in the region present unique opportunities to deliver broad socio-economic benefits, beyond emissions reductions, such as the creation of new decent jobs, economic diversification, reduced energy poverty and improved air quality. Tracking these benefits can help ensure that all parts of society benefit from these changes.In 2024, G20 leaders endorsed ten voluntary G20 Principles for Just and Inclusive Energy Transitions…
-
Universal Access to Clean Cooking in Africa
Progress update and roadmap for implementation Clean cooking access is a defining challenge for Africa’s prosperity. While the number of people without access to clean cooking has halved globally since 2010, the number in sub-Saharan Africa continues to rise. This harms health, economic development, and the environment – contributing to 815 000 premature deaths annually and significant deforestation.In a new report, Universal Access to Clean Cooking in Africa: Progress update and roadmap to implementation, the International Energy Agency (IEA) provides an updated picture of where things stand today, where efforts are gaining ground, and where urgent action is…
-
Stepping Up the Value Chain in Africa
Minerals, materials and manufacturing This report explores key opportunities for African countries to step up the value chain in the growing global market for energy technologies, identifying opportunities beyond a role centred around extraction and mining to one more focused on mineral beneficiation, material production and technology manufacturing. These opportunities would enable Africa to retain a greater share of the economic value generated across energy technology supply chains, and would simultaneously contribute to global efforts to enhance supply chain diversification and resilience.The economic benefits of the new energy economy are currently distributed very unevenly. Emerging markets and developing economies…
-
COP28 Tripling Renewable Capacity Pledge 2025: Update
Tracking countries’ ambitions COP28: Tracking the Energy Outcomes Nearly 200 countries made major collective pledges on energy at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai with the aim of keeping the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C within reach. For the first time, governments set key goals to help meet this objective, including tripling global renewable electricity capacity by the end of this decade. In June 2024, the IEA published COP28 Tripling Renewable Capacity Pledge: Tracking countries’ ambitions and identifying policies to bridge the gap, which provided a global stocktake of renewable capacity plans to assess…
