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Since 2018, China has increased its involvement in renewable energy projects in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, alongside traditional energy sector investments. This surge aligns with Beijing's "Green" Belt and Road Initiative and is driven by the host countries' growing concerns about energy insecurity and the environmental impact of fossil fuels. Both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are turning to solar and wind energy to secure energy independence, especially in light of energy shortages and increased pressure from Russia to import gas. Kazakhstan has set ambitious renewable energy targets, aiming for 15% by 2030 and 50% by 2050, while Uzbekistan plans to increase its solar and wind capacity significantly by 2030. To attract Chinese involvement, both countries have emphasized renewable energy in diplomatic agendas and bilateral agreements with China. They have also developed regulatory frameworks, including renewable energy auctions and incentives, which enhance the bankability of such projects. China's investment strategy in Central Asia's renewable sector has evolved to include equity financing and collaboration with local banks, moving away from debt financing through Chinese banks. The shift also reflects a broader change in China's global investment approach, prioritizing sustainability and debt sustainability concerns. In Kazakhstan, Chinese companies have become project developers and constructors, while in Uzbekistan, they have engaged as EPC contractors or suppliers, adapting to local demands for renewable energy project localisation. The growing Chinese involvement in Central Asia's renewable sector presents opportunities for green transition and energy independence, but also risks such as potential over-reliance on Chinese technology and standards.

Estonia's renewable energy plans must flexibly match the development of economic competitiveness, rather than outpace the overall EU goals or the ambitions of neighboring countries.

World Economic Forum - Energy Transition Index(ETI): Report 🔷 Europe leads rankings Europe led the ETI rankings, with the top 10 list for 2024 fully composed of countries from that region. Sweden (1) and Denmark (2) topped the rankings, having both placed in the top three countries each year for the past decade. They are followed by Finland (3), Switzerland (4) and France (5). 🔷 G20 countries close behind Among G20 economies, Germany (11), Brazil (12), the United Kingdom (13), China (17) and the United States (19) join France in the ETI top 20, along with new entrants Latvia (15) and Chile (20), which were buoyed by increases in renewable energy capacity.

The ASEAN power grid aims to enhance regional energy connectivity, offering numerous benefits beyond providing green electricity. According to a US-Singapore feasibility study, an interconnected grid could lead to significant socio-economic gains, including job creation, reduced air pollution, and substantial investments in the energy sector. The study, part of the Net Zero World Initiative, projects annual investments of US$2 billion in R&D and a cumulative US$1.4 trillion to build electricity generation capacity. It suggests that regional interconnection could boost each ASEAN country's GDP by 0.8% to 4.6%. The ASEAN power grid has been progressing, with initiatives like the Laos-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore electricity import pilot, which transmits 100MW of hydropower from Laos to Singapore. Expanding regional grids allows countries to share resources, ensuring energy security and mitigating the intermittency of renewable energy sources. The grid could reduce air pollution by around half, potentially preventing 15,000 pollution-induced deaths annually, as coal-fired power plants are a major pollution source in the region. Additionally, the creation of 2,000 to 9,000 jobs annually, particularly in the renewables manufacturing sector, would stimulate economic growth. Building the necessary infrastructure, such as subsea cables, involves significant upfront costs. However, these costs become more manageable when shared among countries in the region. Singapore, for example, recently approved the conditional import of 1.75GW of solar energy from Australia via a 4,300km subsea cable, with an estimated cost of US$24 billion. Future phases of the study will focus on regulatory frameworks and how the grid aligns with international laws. Singapore is committed to importing 7.35GW of clean electricity from neighboring countries, emphasizing the importance of long-term import and export licenses to reduce policy uncertainty and encourage investment.

In an Investment Monitor analysis, we can read that #Estonia needs another 4-5 TWh of renewable energy to meet future demand, and although several energy projects are under development or in the pipeline, the need for more #RES is likely to continue to grow. In light of the Estonian government's ambitious goals to produce all energy consumed in the country using renewable sources by 2023, huge growth opportunities are opening up for the RES industry Our company Everto, part of the Electrum Group, can play a key role in this green revolution. As Climate Tech, we feel a responsibility to support neighboring markets in their development and transformation as well. https://lnkd.in/dur7C-H9

The CSIRO ‘Understanding Australian attitudes toward the renewable energy transition’ survey results released today shows that Australians are open to a transition towards #renewableenergy, with varying views about speed and extent of change. With views from over 6,700 Australians, the survey results show that:   🏃♀️ Almost half (47%) preferred a moderate paced transition and 40% preferred a faster and more extensive change 💵 Affordable energy remains a priority for Australians, with 82% ranking affordable energy in their top three priorities 📄 Most Australians didn’t agree with having to pay more for electricity ❓ Most Australians reported being interested in the energy transition, however felt they didn’t know much about #renewableinfrastructure 🏡 Nearly one in five of Australians would reject living near renewable developments The key drivers of social acceptance: ▶ Perceived benefits and the role of renewable energy infrastructure in enabling the energy transition (the narrative) were key in predicting social acceptance of renewable energy infrastructure ▶The key role of new transmission lines as part of the energy transition was not well-understood by Australians ▶Concerns over potential negative impacts (perceived impacts) and perceptions of unfairness in terms of how much the community would be bearing the ‘costs’ versus receiving the benefits (distributional fairness) were the next most important consideration, after the narrative and perceived benefits ▶Other social licence factors worked more indirectly or played a supporting role, like governance, procedural fairness, and trust in the renewable energy development operator.   We're proud to have played a small role in helping shape this research! We’re also working with a number of community and industry collaborators to understand these issues more and importantly, co-design solutions.   #energytransition #affordableenergy #customer #communityoutcomes #engagement https://lnkd.in/gFTHRuXW See CSIRO research here: https://lnkd.in/g_jV8qTX

Ranked: Energy Transition Scores by Country in 2024 https://ift.tt/6yldhSr Published 4 seconds ago on August 7, 2024 By Ryan Bellefontaine Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pinterest Email The following content is sponsored by National Public Utilities Council Ranked: Energy Transition Scores by Country in 2024 The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently unveiled their 2024 Energy Transition Report, which assesses 120 countries around the world on their decarbonization efforts and ranks them on their Energy Transition Index (ETI). This visualization, created in partnership with the National Public Utilities Council, shows the top 10 and bottom 10 countries based on their ETI scores. How Does the ETI Work? The ETI is a weighted average of two sub-indexes, system performance (60%) and transition readiness (40%), that rates countries on 46 indicators, including regulation and political engagement, innovation, and infrastructure. Since the launch of the ETI in 2015, the global average increased from 53.4 to 56.8. However, momentum has slowed recently, and is down 0.3 points since 2022, due to the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and surging inflation interest rates. The Rankings The highest energy transition scores come from advanced economies and the top three are Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. The lowest scores, however, come from sub-Saharan Africa. Rank Country ETI Score 1 Sweden 78.4 2 Denmark 75.2 3 Finland 74.5 4 Switzerland 73.4 5 France 71.1 6 Norway 69.9 7 Iceland 68 8 Austria 67.9 9 Estonia 67.8 10 Netherlands 66.7 11 Germany 66.5 12 Brazil 65.7 13 United Kingdom 65.6 14 Portugal 65.4 15 Latvia 65.2 16 Spain 64.3 17 China 64.1 18 Luxembourg 64.1 19 United States 64 20 Chile 63.9 21 Israel 63.8 22 Australia 63.7 23 South Korea 63.5 24 Lithuania 63.2 25 New Zealand 62.8 26 Japan 62.4 27 Canada 62.4 28 Hungary 62.1 29 Slovenia 61.9 30 Costa Rica 61.3 31 Poland 61.3 32 Vietnam 61 33 Uruguay 60.8 34 Belgium 60.8 35 Colombia 60.7 36 Bulgaria 60.6 37 Greece 60.5 38 Azerbaijan 60.3 39 Croatia 60.1 40 Malaysia 60.1 41 Italy 59.7 42 Paraguay 59.6 43 Albania 59.4 44 Czechia 59.2 45 Ireland 58.7 46 El Salvador 58.4 47 Peru 58.3 48 Romania 58.3 49 Slovakia 57.5 50 Qatar 57.3 51 Panama 57.1 52 United Arab Emirates 57 53 Mauritius 56.8 54 Indonesia 56.7 55 Cyprus 56.6 56 Georgia 56.3 57 Mexico 56.3 58 Saudi Arabia 55.9 59 Türkiye 55.8 60 Thailand 55.8 61 Malta 55.6 62 Oman 55.5 63 India 55.3 64 Singapore 55 65 Morocco 54.9 66 Bolivia 54.8 67 Montenegro 54.6 68 Namibia 54.5 69 Sri Lanka 54.2 70 Kenya 53.6 71 Tajikistan 53.6 72 Laos 53.5 73 Jordan 53.5 74 Ecuador 53.2 75 Egypt 53 76 Ukraine 52.9 77 Cambodia 52.9 78 Serbia 52.9 79 Armenia 52.7 80 Kyrgyzstan 52.7 81 N...

A welcome report from CSIRO with a national perspective on public perceptions about the energy transition. The data enthusiast in me wants to spend hours pouring the charts looking for nuances in future approaches to engagement within the energy transition. However the statement from The Energy Charter about the ‘next steps’ that has caught my attention. Co-design in its truest form could change engagement outcomes, and importantly, how communities can take control during the transition. #collaboration #energytransition #betterengagement #cocreation

The idea that we're winning the global energy transition with exponential growth in renewables is misleading. Here’s why: • China’s Impact: In 2023, China contributed 96% of the global net additions in renewable capacity. Without China, the global growth rate is much less encouraging. Regional Disparities: • Africa: Between 2018-2023, global annual net additions grew by 10%, but only by 5% in Africa. • Middle East: Despite its vast potential and ongoing efforts, progress remains limited. • Asia (excluding China): Urgently needs more renewable investments. • Rising Emissions: Greenhouse-gas emissions from electricity generation continue to rise globally. One promising approach to addressing this disparity is through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs): • PPAs: Provide long-term contracts to secure funding for renewable projects, especially in underinvested regions. • Stable Financial Frameworks: PPAs can drive the much-needed growth in renewable energy capacity worldwide. It’s crucial to debunk the "exponential growth" narrative: • Misleading Optimism: Prevents necessary changes in our approach to the climate crisis. • Decarbonizing Electricity: Rapid and broad decarbonization is essential. • PPAs as a Solution: Leveraging tools like PPAs can be part of the solution. We must confront the uncomfortable facts to make real progress. https://lnkd.in/dUnuDFEi #RenewableEnergy #ClimateChange #Sustainability #EnergyTransition #PPA

🌍 Renewables and Competitiveness: How Draghi sees Europe’s path forward 🌍 Cristiano Spillati, Managing Director of Limes RE, dives deep into the Draghi Report in Power Engineering International, highlighting the opportunities that Europe’s clean energy transition poses if decisive action is taken to prevent Europe falling behind. Some Key Insights: 🟢 Decarbonisation is Non-Negotiable: Europe’s ambitious climate goals are far more stringent than those of its global competitors like the US and China. This puts pressure on the European industry, which faced a €390 billion fossil fuel import bill in 2023 alone. Shifting even a portion of these imports to renewable energy could save tens of billions of euros annually. 🟢 ⁠Renewables as a Growth Engine: The cost of solar PV electricity has dropped over 80% since 2010, while wind energy has seen similar reductions (IRENA). Countries like Spain, where renewables make up a significant portion of the energy mix, now enjoy some of the lowest electricity prices in Europe. 🟢 ⁠Energy Independence: By investing in renewables, Europe can mitigate its reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets, enhancing energy security and reducing exposure to price fluctuations driven by geopolitical tensions. 🟢 ⁠Job Creation: The Report underscores the renewable energy sector as a potent engine for job creation, generating millions of jobs across manufacturing, installation, and maintenance activities. As stated by Cristiano: “The Draghi Report makes it clear that embracing renewable energy is not merely an environmental imperative; it is an economic necessity. As the world races toward decarbonisation, we must not allow political stagnation, populism, or fear of investment to hold us back when the reality is that the cost of delaying the transition and our continued reliance on fossil fuels is costing Europe immensely”. 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/dYwgjhkW #DraghiReport #Renewables #EnergyTransition #CleanEnergy