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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…
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World Energy Outlook 2025 Net Zero Emissions by 2050
…about 4% per year by 2035, double the rate of 2022. Sustainable fuels – including liquid biofuels, biogases, low-emissions hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels – are widely deployed: their use more than quadruples by 2035 from current levels. Methane emissions are cut by more than 80% by 2035. Global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were 38 gigatonnes (Gt) in 2024. In the NZE Scenario, emissions fall by nearly 55% by 2035 to around 18 Gt. Yet, the increase in long-term global average temperature exceeds 1.5 °C around 2030 and peaks at around 1.65 °C about 2050. The NZE Scenario achieves the COP28 goals…
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Integrating Distributed Energy Resources in China
…international experience Like no other country in the world, the People’s Republic of China (hereafter, “China”) is witnessing rapid growth in distributed energy resources (DERs), including rooftop solar photovoltaics, battery storage and electric vehicle (EV) chargers. As China advances towards its carbon peaking and neutrality goals, these resources offer a unique opportunity to support a more 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…
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Global Hydrogen Review 2026 Production
…in China. More than 2.5 GW are under construction, targeting operation in 2026. Growth is expected mostly in Europe, with 2 GW, but is highly concentrated in a small number of big projects.One large project for production from fossil fuels with carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) started operation in 2025. Two smaller projects are expected for 2026, but several have been postponed due to delays in CCUS infrastructure.Investment momentum slowed in 2025. New final investment decisions (FIDs) dropped below 0.8 Mtpa after two consecutive years at around 1 Mtpa. Recent policy developments in China can reinvigorate investment, but lack…
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Low-Emissions Fuels
Develop certification and standards to ensure that low-emissions fuels are sustainable
The development of standards and certification schemes ensuring a sustainable supply chain will be critical for scaling up the production of both biofuels and hydrogen, while avoiding potentially harmful environmental, economic and social impacts. The development of international markets and trade in these fuels will also depend on internationally agreed methods and certification processes to guarantee the sustainability of traded fuels.
Create support programmes for the use of low-emissions fuels
With the use of low-emissions fuels still in most cases being more expensive than unabated fossil…
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Renewables
…investment in all forms of flexibility become crucial. Solutions include enhancing power plant flexibility, unlocking demand-side management, supporting energy storage and improving grid infrastructure.
Address technology-specific challenges
Some renewable technologies are still relatively expensive and/or face specific technology and market challenges, so they require more targeted policies. Better remuneration of the market value of storage is necessary to accelerate deployment of CSP, pumped-hydro storage and reservoir hydropower technologies. Timely grid connection and continued implementation of policies that spur competition are needed to achieve further cost reductions in offshore wind. Improving the competitiveness of renewable heating technologi...
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Portugal 2026 Policy recommendations for Portugal
…and consumer groups, to ensure that each sector’s pathway reflects practical implementation barriers, technology readiness and cost-effectiveness. This approach would also help sequence actions in electricity, buildings, transport and industry; support targeted measures where progress is lagging; and build shared ownership of the transition.A well-defined roadmap would provide the predictability required for investment, help avoid bottlenecks in supply chains and workforce skills, and ensure that Portugal’s 2030 and 2045 goals remain achievable. This effort could build on the ongoing revision of the Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality 2050, led by the Portuguese Climate Agency, which offers…
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Delivering Sustainable Fuels Executive summary
…Expanding their production and use can open new income streams, drive industrial growth, accelerate technology deployment and create job opportunities across the entire value chain. Such opportunities are especially important in rural and underserved communities, where projects can build local capacity and support youth employment.With well-designed policies, sustainable fuels can achieve major lifecycle emissions reductions compared with conventional fuels. Actual reductions depend on choices made across the supply chain. Measures include the adoption of sustainable farming practices, using carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS), switching to renewable energy for processing, or powering electrolysers with dedicated low-emissions electricity…
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Net Zero Emissions
…inform these efforts, the IEA released a first-of-its-kind Net Zero Roadmap in 2021, outlining what would be required within the energy sector to achieve this goal at the global level by mid-century. An update to the Roadmap, which has served as an essential benchmark for policy makers, industry, the financial sector and civil society, was published in 2023.The Roadmap is based on the IEA’s Net Zero Emissions (NZE) Scenario, which portrays a pathway for the global energy sector to achieve net zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2050 while maintaining energy security. This scenario…
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Pledges to Progress 2025 Recommendations
The case for robust operational emissions reduction – backed by public disclosure to foster progress, transparency and accountability – has never been stronger. The increased regulatory and policy focus on reducing methane and flaring emissions from oil and gas production, the degree of cost-effectiveness in pursuing reductions, and the uptake among industry, investors and others suggest that all stakeholders are well aware of the opportunity for climate mitigation and operational efficiency.In many cases, large improvements in company scores could be achieved with better reporting and increased transparency, especially since companies are likely to be doing more than they are disclosing…
