Full report
Published: 19 June 2024

Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2024

4. Tailored Transition Pathways

ETI data highlights the diversity of national contexts, emphasizing the need for nuanced global cooperation in the energy transition beyond uniform strategies.

Achieving a successful energy transition requires global cooperation, as highlighted by shared commitments like those in COP28. However, it is evident that countries differ significantly in their initial conditions, readiness and achievements related to energy transitions. Therefore, while the goal is to advance collectively towards a balanced transition, it does not necessitate a uniform approach across all nations.

A nuanced approach that considers multiple dimensions is essential in understanding the energy transition. The analysis of ETI data has highlighted critical national characteristics, such as region, income level and local energy resources.

  • Region: Common climatic conditions within a region can dictate the viability of solar, wind and hydro energy. Regions often share similar macroeconomic frameworks and energy demand profiles. Importantly, regional cooperation can catalyse the energy transition through initiatives like integrated grids, co-investments, policies, etc.
  • Income level: This determines a country’s financial capability to invest in new energy technologies and infrastructure, influencing
    the pace and scale of its energy transition. For example, higher income levels correlate to increased energy consumption.
  • Local energy resources: The availability of local energy resources significantly influences the three dimensions of the energy triangle.
    For example, countries that are net energy exporters tend to show stronger security and equity performance.

Within this report, the Whisker-Box plots visually represent group averages, indicated by an “X”, while the boxes illustrate each group’s 25th and 75th percentiles. The whiskers, extending from each box, highlight the maximum and minimum values within each group.

4.1 Regional Insights

The concept of regional pathways has gained significant traction in international dialogue. While each nation has its unique requirements, there are noticeable similarities within geographical areas. Furthermore, there has been a rise in regional cooperation and agreements, with counties pooling resources, establishing interconnected energy grids, sharing gas facilities, forming trade pacts and engaging in various collaborative efforts. The key insights from this section offer a framework for identifying critical focal points for different regions.

The research is segmented into:

  • Emerging and developing regions/nations: Commonwealth of Independent States, emerging and developing Asia, Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Advanced and developed economies: North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan

It is crucial to acknowledge that while the advanced economies and emerging and developing nations groupings encompass a diverse range of countries, the analysis is cautiously prudent in identifying general trends. Additionally, the increasing importance of supporting emerging and developing nations is a key driver in conducting this analysis. Therefore, the insights presented are focused on areas where statistical differences are prominent and significant.

Figure 16: Region level Energy Transition Index ranking

Table 2: Region-level actions

4.2 Income-level Insights

Analysing the correlation between a country’s income level and its ETI performance yields an alternate perspective. Generally, there is a positive association across most dimensions, indicating that countries with higher income levels tend to have better ETI performance. This suggests that economic prosperity plays a significant role in facilitating a country’s energy transition efforts and vice versa. However, sustainability and innovation present exceptions to this trend.

Figure 17: Income level Energy Transition Index ranking

Table 3: Income-level actions

4.3 Local Energy Resources Insights

The third perspective in customizing energy transition pathways involves assessing a country’s status as either a net importer or exporter of energy. Notably, net-importing countries often demonstrate a higher level of readiness for transition.

Among affluent net-importing nations, there is a concerted effort to enhance the efficiency of the energy system, possibly driven by the need to mitigate the vulnerabilities associated with energy importation, such as supply disruptions and price volatility.

Table 4: Local energy resources actions

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