This article announces the adoption of harmonised minimum energy performance standards for air conditioners and refrigerators in the 16 member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It also explains the process by which these harmonised standards were developed and adopted.
This article explores how the Central American Integration System (SICA) has helped lead the way to improve energy efficiency in appliances at the regional level, and the opportunities that further harmonisation could generate.
The average lifespan of a building is 50 years, so the design of buildings that are constructed now will have an effect on energy consumption in our cities until well into the 2070s. This article presents the most effective options for cities to set mandatory minimum energy performance standards for buildings, to prevent locking in […]
This explainer by the German Heinrich Böll Foundation provides a quick overview of green hydrogen, the way it is produced, the role it can play in the energy transition, and the main challenges.
This report highlights the importance of sector coupling as a key source of flexibility that cities can explore to stabilise power grid operations when integrating high shares of variable renewable energy sources. It presents a range of sector coupling opportunities available for use in cities, including self-consumption of variable RE sources, the role of thermal […]
The Global Innovation Hub aims to promote transformative innovations for a low-emission and climate-resilient future.
This paper underscores the need for sustainable utilities to deliver the energy transition in lower- and middle-income countries, and provides recommendations to governments and other stakeholders.
This report highlights the economic, social and environmental benefits that energy and transport sector-coupling and a transition towards EV- and RE-based, efficient systems can create in small island settings, and provides tools for the planning of such a transition.
This article explores how system planning, and in particular assessments of system adequacy, will need to innovate and evolve to allow power systems to keep delivering secure and affordable electricity supply during energy transitions.
This report challenges the prevailing narrative that green hydrogen is primarily a product for export from renewable-rich and industry-poor countries; rather, it underscores green hydrogen’s potential as a catalyst for sustainable development within developing countries that can contribute to economic growth, environmental sustainability and social progress.