Inside the Race to the Top

Cleantech has unleashed a global revolution, driven from the bottom up. Three major blocs — Europe, the United States, and China — are in a race to the top on cleantech. Yet, the real frontier of change lies within — at the country, state, and province level inside each bloc.

In a new report, Inside the Race to the Top, RMI looks at the energy transition across more than 110 territories across the three blocs. It is a follow up to a previous report on cleantech progress in the United States, China, and Europe. It digs deeper into the local …

The Balancing Act: Risks and Benefits of Integrating Permanent Carbon Removals into the EU ETS

A joint report from Clean Air Task Force and CONCITO analyses and provides recommendations to address potential impacts on 1) the functioning and integrity of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and 2) short and long-term demand for permanent carbon removals, if permanent carbon removals are to be integrated into the EU ETS as part of the 2026 review of the system.

The report examines the integration of permanent carbon removals into the EU ETS through four approaches:

– Without restrictions
– With a maintained emissions cap
– With supply controls
– Via an intermediary institution

Assessment criteria focusing on …

The End of Oil

It is now plausible to envision scenarios in which global demand for crude oil falls to essentially zero by the end of this century, driven by a combination of improvements in clean energy technologies and adoption of increasingly stringent climate policies. This paper asks what such a demand decline might mean for global oil supply once the industry adopts a belief that the decline is upon it. One concern is the well-known “green paradox”: because oil is an exhaustible resource, producers may accelerate near-term extraction in order to beat the demand decline. This reaction would increase near-term CO2 emissions and …

New Perspectives for Financing Nuclear New Build: Financing, Market Design and Project Management in Nuclear New Build

Realising the full contribution of nuclear energy to achieving net zero targets requires mastering the challenge of financing and constructing significant numbers of new reactors. This new NEA report shows that this entails treating the financing and the management of new nuclear construction projects as interrelated issues in the framework of electricity systems designs appropriate for the low-carbon energy transition. “Hybrid markets” will thus combine competitive short-term dispatch with centrally co-ordinated incentives for long-term investment. The benefits of nuclear energy at the level of the energy system on the one hand and the current size of nuclear construction risk on …

Opening Early Market for Low-Carbon Building Materials in China

The report, Opening Early Market for Low-Carbon Building Materials in China, examines the critical role of public procurement in accelerating the adoption of low-carbon building materials in China. Building materials account for over 20 percent of China’s total CO₂ emissions, with cement and steel being the largest contributors. With embodied carbon emissions accounting for 41 percent of a building’s total life-cycle emissions, prioritizing low-carbon materials is critical to reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment.

The report identifies key challenges to establishing a comprehensive low-carbon procurement system, including economic feasibility, lack of carbon accounting rules and carbon metrics, and …

The Energy Code Safe Harbor Toolkit: Plug-and-Play Energy Code Proposals that Promote Heat Pumps in New Buildings

A growing number of cities and states are eager to make meaningful progress on decarbonizing buildings to achieve climate targets, enhance quality of life for all residents and businesses, and improve energy efficiency. New construction poses an irreplaceable opportunity to build smart from the start: it is the most cost-effective time to improve efficiency and helps prepare the workforce to decarbonize existing homes and businesses. To do this, leaders need policies that make zero-emission new construction the norm and comply with the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).

In 2023 a federal court decision introduced a new interpretation of …

Insights and Outlook on China’s Climate Technology Investment and Financing Market

Climate technology, as a key driver for achieving carbon neutrality, has garnered widespread attention. China, fueled by policy incentives and a rapid growing market demand, has led the world in investments in various climate technologies. Startups have played a vital role in this progress, driving innovation and expanding the reach of climate solutions across the country. However, due to the inherent uncertainties in their growth prospects and the underdeveloped credit system, most startups find themselves at a disadvantage within the current financial market framework (as illustrated). This is further compounded by recent geopolitical risks, the economic impacts of the pandemic, …

Powering the Data-Center Boom with Low-Carbon Solutions: China’s Perspective and Global Insights

Transitioning data centers to reduce emissions is a global imperative, but it faces four key challenges: poor coordination in energy infrastructure planning, untapped energy efficiency potential in buildings and IT systems, difficulty in scaling up green electricity consumption, and weak policy and market incentives. This report analyzes these challenges and proposes pathways for decoupling the growth of data centers from rising emissions. Key actions include optimizing data center location and design, improving energy efficiency through applying more rigorous standards, adopting low-carbon and grid-friendly power consumption behaviors, and fostering green development through policy and market collaboration.…

Transformational Adaptation for COP29: Issues and Options

Transformational adaptation is a concept with evolving definitions and applications in climate adaptation and resilience literature. There is no single agreed approach to either, although several common features emerge across the literature on transformational adaptation. Most definitions emphasize the depth of change required, often highlighting the need to foster systemic shifts that address the root causes of vulnerability and considering the spatial scale or extent of these changes. Many definitions also stress the importance of the durability of interventions and their potential to catalyze broader systemic changes. However, there is variability in how equity and power dynamics are addressed and …

A Refinery Taps Vital Insights to Better Position Itself for the Energy Transition

Staying ahead of the curve is crucial for success in a rapidly evolving energy landscape. S&P Global Commodity Insights’ latest case study reveals how a leading crude oil refinery harnessed vital insights to navigate the complexities of the energy transition. With declining demand and rising carbon costs, the refinery’s executive team sought comprehensive market intelligence to inform their strategies.

By partnering with S&P Global Commodity Insights, they gained access to cutting-edge analytics and a wealth of data on clean energy technologies, market dynamics, and regulatory impacts. This enabled them to make informed decisions on investments in solar, wind, hydrogen, and …