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Wired for water: How electrification is transforming desalination
Wired for water: how electrification is transforming desalination The water-energy nexus Pressure on water resources is increasing worldwide and can be very acute at the local level. Rising consumption across sectors combined with population growth in already water-stressed regions is intensifying water scarcity. Desalination has long been developed to supply fresh water in the most affected areas, with significant implications for the energy system: energy use ranges from under 0.1% to as much as 15% of total final consumption, depending on national reliance. However, a shift is underway from thermal desalination technologies to electricity-driven systems as…
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World Energy Outlook 2025 Overview and key findings
Ten questions on the future of energy The Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS) and the Current Policies Scenario (CPS) present two views on how the energy system may evolve, building on different assumptions regarding today’s policies and technologies. Both scenarios see continued increases in energy demand to 2050, albeit at different speeds, with emerging market and developing economies driving the increase, led by India and Southeast Asia. Differences in the pace at which new technologies are brought into the energy system are reflected in the trajectories for fossil fuels. In the CPS, oil and natural gas demand continue to grow…
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World Energy Outlook 2025 Achieving access for all
A roadmap for universal energy access Today around 2 billion people lack access to clean cooking and some 730 million remain without electricity – deficits which have far-reaching implications for health, economic opportunity and global development. Since 2010, 1.5 billion people have gained access to clean cooking and 1 billion to electricity, demonstrating that rapid progress is possible. Our new Accelerating Clean Cooking and Electricity Services Scenario (ACCESS) outlines a country-by-country pathway to universal access that draws on lessons about what has worked best in recent years. Universal clean cooking access is achieved in the ACCESS around 2040. Over 60…
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Financing Electricity Access in Africa Beyond new connections
…to reduce developer costs, demand-side subsidies to reduce consumer costs, or reductions in financing costs.The cost of capital for electricity access projects is three to four times higher than grid projects in advanced economies, due to higher perceived and actual country-level and project-related risks. If financing was available at rates more in line with advanced economies, this would reduce the cost of electricity access projects by 15-25%, making the basic bundle affordable for 40 million more people.Supply-side subsidies via grants to developers can also drive down the cost of access. Using grants to cover…
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What Next for the Global Car Industry Policy and strategic actions
Highlights As global electric car markets grow, countries that are home to car manufacturing operations are faced with the challenging task of ensuring that the industry retains its domestic footprint and international revenues, or even expands downstream to become a larger supplier of final products that add more value to the economy. Among other factors, uncertainty about the pace of electrification and the cost gap with Chinese production mean most countries face tough choices as they pursue near- and long-term strategies to boost industrial competitiveness.Where the car industry aims at pursuing electrification strategies, there are public and private…
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State of Energy Policy 2026 Government energy spending
…shifts towards market-based mechanisms, with more than ten countries launching capacity auctions for solar PV and wind over the past five years. Notably, China reduced its renewables subsidies and phased out feed-in tariffs for new projects in 2025. Similarly, Germany’s corresponding budget position was paused in 2022 and 2023 due to high electricity prices, and the United States enacted legislation in July 2025 to end its solar and wind tax credits for new projects starting in 2026. In contrast, the United Kingdom allocated an all-time high allocation to the Low Carbon Contracts Company, managing the contract-for…
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Global Methane Tracker 2026 Regional insights
Central and South America The fossil fuel sector in Central and South America emitted just under 8 million tonnes (Mt) of methane in 2025, around half of which was from oil and gas facilities in Venezuela. Oil and gas facilities are the main sources of methane emissions in Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil, whereas in Colombia emissions are split roughly evenly between coal mining and oil and gas activities. In Venezuela, the upstream methane emissions intensity of oil and gas operations is nearly six times the global average, and flaring intensity is around 12 times higher. The intensities of operations in Argentina…
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Scaling Up Transition Finance Financial institutions and transition finance
A complementary source of finance for transitions Transition finance rests on a practical partnership between corporates and financiers. Successful transitions need finance that goes where the emissions are; this means moving beyond the top performers and working with corporates with material environmental footprints that commit to transition strategies. A common alternative strategy, in which financial institutions simply shift emissions off their balance sheets, creates “financial carbon leakage” and does not reduce real-economy emissions.An IEA survey of financial institutions revealed that differences in regional taxonomies and frameworks pose challenges for cross-border financing. At the same time, it highlighted…
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World Energy Investment 2025 Africa
…rising from around USD 17 billion in 2019 to almost USD 40 billion in 2024. Public and development finance (DFI) funding for energy projects in Africa has fallen by approximately one-third in the last ten years, reaching USD 20 billion in 2024, largely due to a reduction of more than 85% in spending by Chinese DFIs. While representing a small share of overall spending, the public sector and DFIs are particularly important for projects in nascent markets, using new technologies or in commercially unviable areas where it can be challenging for private sector investment relying on concessional funds to…
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Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency for Business Operational benefits
For every dollar in energy cost savings, productivity gains can deliver up to an extra 30 cents of value Energy efficiency measures can improve how firms use labour, equipment and materials, leading to gains that go beyond reduced energy use. These improvements are often driven by more efficient, precise and optimised processes. By reducing losses – such as excess heat, inefficient combustion or friction – equipment operates more smoothly and reliably. Electrified processes can further enhance efficiency by reducing the number of moving parts and points of failure.This improved performance leads directly to higher productivity. More efficient production lines enable better…
