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Ensuring a Strong Labour Dimension for Just and Inclusive Energy Transitions
IEA Clean Energy Labour Council Workers play a critical role in the global energy system, providing key services across many areas of the energy sector. To give a greater voice to the labour perspective in energy and climate policy discussions, the IEA Executive Director, Dr. Fatih Birol, convened the Clean Energy Labour Council in 2022. The Labour Council brings together representatives of the world’s most important national trade unions and trade union confederations, as well as prominent thinkers on the topic, to foster engagement between the IEA, energy policy makers, and the labour movement.The IEA Clean Energy Labour…
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Brazil 2025 Policy recommendations for Brazil
…4. Implement whole-of-government energy transition workforce mapping and planning to ensure opportunities in local communities are optimised.15. Integrate electricity into the portfolio of options for clean cooking access for families. Investment and financing 6. Pursue the intended establishment of a carbon pricing instrument to orient investment while using revenues to mitigate adverse impacts on low-income groups and maintain competitiveness. 7. Establish a national investment fund to direct a fixed share of the government oil revenues to finance the energy transition, including plans to move up the value chain in new industries. End-use sectors 8. Implement…
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Energy Efficiency in China’s Buildings Sector
…progress in achieving them. Regulation for new buildings in China, such as building codes, is relatively strong. However, as the rate of construction is slowing, policy priorities are shifting towards retrofitting existing buildings. Here, the IEA estimates that through strong policy action and best-in-class technology, China could reduce energy consumption by up to 65% in buildings constructed between 1995 and 2010, representing energy savings of over 8 000 Petajoules.The report includes examples from across China and the world on leading regulatory instruments, financial incentives, and information-based tools that can drive energy efficiency in the buildings sector.
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Integrating Variable Renewable Energy in Kenya
…nearly 90% of the generation mix derived from renewable sources and electricity access rising from 37% in 2013 to 79% in 2025, the country has established itself as a regional leader in energy development.Integrating Variable Renewable Energy in Kenya explores how Kenya can strengthen its power system amid rising shares of variable renewable energy (VRE). The report identifies Kenya’s system to be operating in Phase 3 of the IEA’s VRE integration framework, where variability increasingly influences system operations. It explores the key challenges that lie ahead and how three mutually reinforcing pillars - open access, flexibility and storage…
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Gas Market Report, Q1-2026
Natural gas markets continued to rebalance in 2025. Global LNG supply returned to double-digit growth in the second half of the year, supported by the ramping-up of new LNG liquefaction projects in the United States, Canada and Africa. This strong growth is gradually easing market fundamentals and contributing to a more secure and resilient global gas market.Global LNG supply growth is set to accelerate further in 2026, fostering a stronger increase in natural gas demand, which is expected to reach a new all-time high. Although the LNG supply growth is reducing market tightness, geopolitical tensions and…
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Hydroelectricity
…total.
More than 150 gigawatts (GW) of new hydro capacity is set to come online by the end of the decade, mostly in emerging and developing economies. As a result, electricity generation from hydropower is expected to increase by 7% between 2025 and 2030. However, its share in global electricity generation is poised to decrease slightly by 2030 as other energy sources, including solar PV and wind, see faster growth.
Annual capacity additions of pumped-storage hydropower are forecast to double by 2030. Pumped-storage hydro plants can provide both flexibility and storage, boosting energy security as electricity systems evolve.
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The State of Energy Innovation 2025 Executive summary
…It is also a moment when uncertainties and emerging weaknesses could slow progress if not addressed. In addition to analysis of available data, the report draws on a dataset of over 150 energy innovation highlights from the past year, covering 45 countries and compiled with expert help from the IEA Technology Collaboration Programmes and a survey of almost 300 practitioners from around the world.All phases of innovation, up to the early adoption of a new product in the marketplace, are covered in the report. After a new idea makes its way from the drawing board to a prototype and…
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COP28 Tripling Renewable Capacity Pledge 2025: Update Key Findings
…not fully capture countries’ 2030 renewable capacity ambitions in all submitted NDCs. Including 2030 ambitions from previous NDC cycles, total renewable capacity pledges could exceed 1 600 GW, almost ten times what is captured in the current round of submissions (170 GW).In contrast, analysis of existing policies, plans and estimates for 189 countries corresponds to renewable capacity reaching 8 355 GW in 2030, five times the level reflected in NDCs. China’s renewable ambition is the highest globally, followed by Europe and the Asia Pacific region, all three together accounting for 80% of the global total. Solar PV is the leading technology in 2030…
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Germany 2025 Executive summary
…storage and locational pricing. As it seeks to achieve 80% renewable energy in power consumption by 2030, faster smart meter rollout can help unlock the flexibility latent within “behind-the-meter” assets (solar panels, heat pumps, EVs). Actions could also be taken to facilitate distribution grid upgrades, enable access to and use of smart meter data, and potentially allow smart meters to control distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) supply. Germany should also jump-start an expansion of large-scale storage in optimal locations, including by fast tracking the implementation of measures in its electricity storage strategy and accelerating grid connections for…
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Renewables 2025 Biogases
Policy attention to biogas and biomethane has increased significantly in the past five years Since 2020, more than 50 new policies have been introduced around the world, as more countries recognise the potential role of biogas and biomethane in the transition to sustainable energy systems. Several key factors are driving this surge. First is the growing importance of energy security following the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and recent geopolitical developments. Second is the need to accelerate decarbonisation in hard-to-abate sectors, together with growing emphasis on methane emissions reductions. Third, countries are paying more…
