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China’s Official Energy Finance in Emerging and Developing Economies
Evolving institutions, instruments and implications for clean energy transitions Global energy investment exceeded USD 3.3 trillion in 2025, but capital flows remain uneven. Emerging market and developing economies (EMDE) outside China attracted just 27% of total energy investment and 18% of clean energy spending, despite accounting for nearly two-thirds of the global population and the bulk of future demand. Addressing this imbalance requires mobilising more capital from diverse sources into EMDE energy systems.China continues to play a central role in global energy investment flows because of its large domestic investments and its large external capital spending on energy. Since…
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The next wave of LED lighting: Smarter, circular and more efficient
lighting commentary The first LED revolution reduced energy use worldwide – and a second wave of deployment is now taking shape As the world enters the Age of Electricity, lighting remains one of the most visible – and widespread – parts of our energy use.The IEA estimates that lighting in buildings and outdoor applications accounts for the majority of overall lighting electricity demand. In 2024, around 8% of global electricity demand – or about 2 200 terawatt hours (TWh) – was attributed to lighting in buildings and outdoor applications, excluding industry and agriculture. These figures reflect the latest available data and define the scope…
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Electrolysers
Country and regional highlights
Progress is spread across different continents, from China, which leads on installed capacity, to the European Union, which have adopted important policies, and other regions like India and the Middle East moving forward with a small number of large-scale projects
Technology deployment
Global installed electrolyser capacity reached 1.4 GW at the end of 2023, almost double the one at the end of 2022
Technology manufacturing
Innovation
Policy
Investment
Acknowledgements
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Latvia
Latvia is undertaking its energy transition with some promising results to date, with the goal to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions (without land use, land-use change and forestry) by 65% from 1990 levels by 2030 and to achieve net zero by 2050. It has made inroads on the share of renewable energy in its fuel mix, with sizeable shares of bioenergy and hydropower.
Renewable energy sources dominate its electricity mix, in particular, accounting for around three-quarters of domestic generation. Other sectors, notably transport and buildings, continue to consume large amounts of energy and rely on dated infrastructure that…- Overview
- Energy mix
- Emissions
- Electricity
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Key Questions on Energy and AI
Following the publication of the IEA’s landmark Energy and AI report in 2025, this report examines how the energy and AI nexus has evolved amid surging investment in data centres and rapid advances in model capabilities. Drawing on fresh datasets and analysis, it explores where electricity demand is rising, how quickly grids and supply chains can respond, and what these shifts mean for energy security, affordability and sustainability.
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Electricity 2026 Flexibility
Evolving generation and demand patterns reshape power system needs The Age of Electricity is underpinned by rising investments in new resources. These include growing converter-based variable solar PV and wind, battery storage systems, as well as spatially and temporally concentrated demand from EVs, heat pumps and large loads like data centres. Combined with the expansion and upgrade of transmission and distribution grids, substantial increases in the flexibility of power systems are required for secure and cost-effective integration of generation, load and storage technologies that characterise this new era.Last year’s report, Electricity 2025, focused on measures to…
- Executive summary
- Demand
- Supply
- Grids
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World Energy Outlook 2022 Outlook for electricity
Electricity accounts for about 20% of the world’s total final consumption of energy, but its share of energy services is higher due to its efficiency. It is central to many aspects of daily life and becomes more so as electricity spreads to new end-uses, such as electric vehicles (EVs) and heat pumps. The electricity sector accounted for 59% of all the coal used globally in 2021, together with 34% of natural gas, 4% of oil, 52% of all renewables and nearly 100% of nuclear power. It also accounted for over one-third of all energy-related CO2 emissions…
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World Energy Outlook 2022 Energy security in energy transitions
Energy security is not just about having uninterrupted access to energy, but also about securing energy supplies at an affordable price. It is a topic of perennial importance, and is once again high on the policy agenda as a result of the global energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The surge in energy prices has been on a large enough scale to worsen considerably the global economic outlook, causing difficulties for households and industrial operations alike, and leading many governments to recalibrate their policy priorities. Energy transitions offer the chance to build a safer and more sustainable…
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Egypt
Egypt has initiated a number of energy sector reforms, gradually reducing electricity subsidies and introducing feed-in tariffs to promote renewable energy production. The energy sector reforms recently initiated by the country have resulted in a significant increase in investments which have boosted electricity production over the last 5 years and ensured a stable supply across the country.
Egypt also has plans to increase the share of renewables in the electricity mix to 42% by 2035.- Overview
- Energy mix
- Emissions
- Electricity
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+ 5 pages
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Battery storage is scaling up and taking on a larger system role
Commentary As the result of falling costs and greater flexibility needs, battery storage is playing a growing role in power systems worldwide, acting as a “multi-tool” that can provide a range of critical system services at once. According to the latest data, the deployment of batteries expanded strongly in 2025 and broadened across markets – with rapid growth in countries such as Australia and Saudi Arabia, where storage is increasingly being used to support the integration of rising shares of variable renewables.In regions that have been at the forefront of renewable integration and battery deployment, batteries now play an…
