Climatescope - developing countries take clean energy lead

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The clean energy country competitiveness index and online tool, Climatescope, supported by the UK and US governments, looks at clean energy activity in 58 emerging markets including Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. It offers information about clean energy policies and activities in individual nations, downloadable datasets and country performance comparisons. Developing nations like China, India, Egypt, Pakistan, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa are included in the group.

Climatescope has been conducted globally for the last three years and reflects successful activity in 2015 - a year that culminated with the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement at the UN-sponsored talks in December. In the run-up to those negotiations, three quarters of the Climatescope nations submitted or reiterated pledges to cut their future CO2 emissions. An even higher number are now on record with promises to achieve certain clean energy consumption goals in the coming years.

Other key findings from Climatescope

For the African region:

• Clean energy policies are becoming more widely adopted across sub-Saharan Africa. Fourteen of the 19 Climatescope countries from the region have introduced renewable energy targets. 
• The role off-grid electrification solutions play is increasingly recognised by governments. All 19 Climatescope countries in the region have stated targets for improving electrification rates and 13 have clear detailed plans to incorporate off-grid solutions to achieve their goals. 
• South Africa was the best scoring Climatescope country in sub-Saharan Africa thanks to a record investment year and finished fifth in the global rankings. The country’s clean energy auction programme led to $4.1bn of new investment in 2015. 

For the international community:

• Steep solar equipment cost declines are catalysing build and driving growth. Investment in utility-scale solar in Climatescope nations spiked 43% to $71.8bn in 2015.
• Affordable solar, innovative business models and a new breed of entrepreneurs are revolutionising how energy access issues are addressed in least developed nations. 
• Developed economies are accelerating funding for clean energy in emerging markets. Private investors, lenders, and development finance institutions in OECD countries accounted for nearly half of all capital to Climatescope countries (excluding China, where virtually all capital was provided locally). 
• Some Climatescope countries with the highest rates of clean energy penetration are beginning to encounter integration challenges. Some have seen projects completed before sufficient transmission could be built. 
• Improving conditions and rising ambitions are reflected in higher scores achieved by the majority of countries surveyed under Climatescope. The project scores countries on a 0-5 basis based on the conditions they create for fostering clean energy development. Across all countries, the average rose from 1.14 last year to 1.35 while the number of countries scoring above two jumped from two to 10.