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Germany 2025 Executive summary
…competitiveness lens, including by ensuring that the distributional impacts are well understood and that proactive measures are taken to manage the costs of transition measures. To ensure public support for the transition, the government should also clearly communicate costs, benefits and timelines.Germany should prioritise actions that optimise the efficiency and resilience of its growing electricity system, such as smart meters, grids, 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…
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Access and Affordability
“An Affordable and Sustainable Energy System for Sub-Saharan Africa” (Energy Sub-Saharan Africa) is a five-year programme (2019-2024) funded by the European Union. It supports work with Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia, with the aim of promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth through the transition towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient energy sector, while delivering universal and affordable energy access to all. Today, 730 million people around the world live without access to electricity, while over 2 billion people continue to rely on harmful cooking fuels…
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World Energy Outlook 2025 Setting the scene
…new energy technologies can be deployed in the energy system. The Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS) considers the application of a broader range of policies, including those that have been formally tabled but not yet adopted as well as other official strategy documents that indicate the direction of travel. Barriers to the introduction of new technologies are lower than in the CPS, but this scenario does not assume that aspirational targets are met. Further scenarios have normative elements and work towards defined outcomes. The Net Zero Emissions by 2050 (NZE) Scenario maps out an updated global pathway for the energy sector…
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Electricity Market Design Executive summary
…2019. These increases were largely the result of volatile and rising gas prices, prompting over 400 emergency measures to mitigate impacts on consumers. These experiences have heightened public and political scrutiny of electricity markets and underlined the importance of ensuring that market frameworks remain resilient, efficient and practical as system pressures grow. Short-term markets remain effective for operations, but long-term markets need strengthening to support investment and risk management Short-term markets have been broadly effective in maintaining reliable and efficient operations even as systems become more complex. In the markets analysed across parts of Europe, the United States, Australia…
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Critical Minerals
…standing experience in safeguarding energy security. What are critical minerals? Ensuring secure, sustainable and responsible supply chains In the years ahead, ensuring reliable supplies of critical minerals will be key to the security of energy systems. However, there are risks. Our analysis indicates that today’s well-supplied market may not be a good guide for the future as demand rises. Additionally, the over-concentration in critical minerals markets today is unprecedented compared with any other major commodity we rely on in the modern world.To support countries as they look to develop sufficient and resilient critical mineral supply chains…
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State of Energy Policy 2026 Executive summary
…energy systems and conflicts affecting major energy suppliers have unfolded in successive waves over the past five years. These events have brought long-standing energy security concerns back into sharp focus while exposing new vulnerabilities. They also highlight energy’s central role in geopolitics, with recent shocks driving an exceptionally active period of energy policy-making across both conventional and emerging dimensions of security, reminiscent of the wide-ranging and extensive policy responses to the oil crises of the 1970s.While no single narrative defines the shifts seen in 2025 in energy policy, the cost of living, competitiveness and resilient…
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Integrating Distributed Energy Resources in China
…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. It puts China’s…
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The Future of Electricity in the Middle East and North Africa
…region’s climate, characterised by extreme heat and water scarcity, implies that reliable and resilient electricity systems are integral to meeting soaring demand for cooling and water desalination. This outlook provides an unprecedented regional overview of demand patterns for cooling and water desalination including country-level data.How countries across the region meet this increased demand will have profound implications for the region’s economic future but also for global energy markets. This report also explores the challenges and opportunities to sustainably meet electricity demand growth by exploring the potential of both demand and supply side policies and measures. Translation
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Key lessons from Ukraine can inform energy resilience planning worldwide
…and building mechanisms for swift and effective cross-border collaboration.In each case, the report provides a snapshot of what Ukraine has done and delivers practical recommendations that policymakers and regulators elsewhere can take into consideration, based on their national priorities.The IEA has worked closely with Ukraine, an Association country, on energy system resilience, publishing a 10-point plan ahead of the 2024-25 winter, along with a 2025-26 update and a roadmap for decentralising Ukraine's power system. This has provided Ukraine with critical assistance, while also offering invaluable real-world lessons that can inform resilience globally.
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IEA Ministerial: In the Age of Electricity, energy security depends on resilience and cooperation
…for energy security. In many regions, renewables are among the most secure and cost-competitive sources of new electricity generation, reducing exposure to imported fuel volatility and strengthening domestic supply. When paired with modernised grids, storage and demand-side flexibility, renewables can enhance system resilience while accelerating transitions to energy systems with lower emissions. Many of the participants highlighted that expanding renewable deployment – supported by clear policy frameworks and modernised grids – can advance security, affordability and competitiveness in parallel.At the same time, the transformation of power systems is introducing new vulnerabilities. While electrification offers opportunities to expand energy access…
