By Kaihui Song The year 2025 recorded the largest net addition to global coal capacity in over a decade, driven largely by China amid the country’s heightened energy security concerns. Recent geopolitical tensions, particularly the conflict in the Middle East, have disrupted liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply and prompted several countries to turn back to […]
By Julie Radomski As petroleum prices reach historic highs while solar and wind prices reach historic lows, the future of the global energy transition appears resilient. This trend continues in large part thanks to China, which leads the world in solar and wind power generation as well as low-carbon technology manufacturing and exports. Meanwhile, Latin […]
by Julie Radomski As countries around the world strive to meet their renewable energy targets, large hydroelectric dams are often framed as clean and reliable alternatives to fossil fuels. In the 21st century, Chinese development finance institutions (DFIs) have emerged as global leaders in financing hydropower, although many of these projects have faced severe environmental […]
Hydroelectric megaprojects represent an important target for Chinese development finance in the 21st century and will likely remain so given their categorization as renewable energy contributing to a green energy transition. However, Chinese-financed megadams around the world have faced numerous social, environmental and political challenges. These challenges not only inhibit the opportunity for the projects […]
Energy poverty is a pervasive and persistent development issue in Africa. Despite the continent’s rich natural resources, the “resource curse” remains a reality for countries with insufficient generation capacity, aging power plants, weak institutions and a lack of affordable energy finance. Additionally, the continent faces crippling energy deficits driven by urbanization and industrialization, coupled with […]
By Tianyi Wu African leaders face significant challenges in energy policy as they strive to implement low-carbon energy solutions while expanding electricity access to around 600 million people—43 percent of the total population of Africa. In this context, lending from Chinese policy banks has played a pivotal role in expanding energy capacity and facilitating sustainable […]
By Thang Ha On November 14, 2024, the Boston University Global Development Policy (GDP) Center hosted a webinar on the latest data and trends in China’s overseas energy finance, based on the new update to China Global Energy Finance (CGEF) Database. The webinar was moderated by Rebecca Ray, Senior Academic Researcher with the Global China Initiative […]
By Ishana Ratan Low- and middle-income countries face the dual goals of decarbonization and development. It might be expected that among these countries, those with a higher share of foreign direct investment (FDI) in renewable energy will lead in the energy transition. In renewable energy, foreign companies can bring skills, technology and capital to markets […]
Foreign direct investment is often cited as critical for renewable energy growth in low- and middle-income countries. However, despite the promise of foreign investment, countries like Colombia capable of quickly scaling up solar are still facing an energy crisis. Why has solar installation slowed in countries with experienced foreign investors, but continues to steadily grow […]
By Jiaqi Lu The exchange of knowledge, technology and resources among developing countries through South-South cooperation has been crucial in driving green development forward. Over the past two decades, China has emerged as a key player in South-South cooperation through its development initiatives, including development finance and recent support for renewable energy. A new special […]