Utility-Scale Renewables

A previous version of this article erroneously referred to "On-Grid" projects in Figure 1, when it should have referred to All Generation projects.  Relevance: At the G7 summit in June, the US and its allies prioritized the growing energy and climate crises, announcing a $600bn initiative for emerging markets infrastructure.

BLUF Diesel prices in Nigeria have almost quadrupled since 2021 due to increased price volatility in global oil markets and the devaluation of the Naira, the local currency.

Countries in Africa need a massive scale-up of clean energy. But the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are disproportionately affecting these economies— and having especially severe effects on their energy sectors. Our latest analysis, “New Headwinds to Clean Energy: Four crippling squeezes on SDG7 and priorities to address them,” shows that both grid and off-grid clean energy investments are being constrained. Fellow Ben Attia, co-author of the report and Research Lead for Energy, Climate and Sustainability at Blackrock discusses with co-author and host Todd Moss the four interlocking squeezes that are disrupting energy development across emerging and frontier markets, and four priority areas to tackle them. Watch their Coffee Break Briefing discussion below, and view all our past briefings here.  

Executive Summary Shocks from the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are disproportionately affecting emerging and frontier economies – and having especially severe effects on their energy sectors.

Higher prices for oil & gas should be good news for wind & solar energy and drive an even faster energy transition – at least in rich countries.

In 2020, when the world was scrambling with the covid-19 pandemic, 10 countries in Southeast Asia region added cumulatively ~22 GW new installed power capacity, about 82% of this new capacity in 2020 was renewable – a notable new trend. While the installed fossil fuel capacity and renewables capacity were comparable in the last five years, the countries in this region are now turning more towards renewable.

The global push to decarbonize, coupled with rapidly growing markets for electric vehicles (EVs) in industrialized nations, is raising the question: what’s needed to shape and invest in Africa’s EV future? A just transition to low-carbon transportation will necessitate the creation of policies and solutions that support socio-economic development, sustainability, and affordability.

BLUF: The USG wants to fund as many new clean energy projects in Africa as possible, but the pool of bankable utility-scale generation projects is running dry.

South Africa’s energy sector is entering the throes of transition – and the world is watching. While the announcement of the $8.5 bn Just Energy Transition Partnership at COP26 has perhaps received the most attention, local factors will ultimately drive the broader transition and determine its success or failure.1 The ongoing Eskom crisis is certainly one key area to watch, but here are three other recent developments that will likely prove equally important in determining the direction and speed of change: 1.

Indonesia’s potential for geothermal energy production is one of (if not the) highest in the world. The government plans to increase the total installed capacity of geothermal power plants to 9,300 megawatts (MW) by 2035.1 This is very ambitious: Indonesia currently has just 2,443 MW of installed geothermal capacity, second only to the US (3,700 MW).2 This expansion would likely make the country the global leader in geothermal power. Game-changing energy Geothermal energy could be a game-changer for Indonesia because it helps fulfill several of the government’s goals: Extending universal electricity access.