Ranked: Energy Transition Scores by Country in 2024

The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently unveiled their 2024 Energy Transition Report, which assesses 120 countries around the world on their decarbonization efforts and ranks them on their Energy Transition Index (ETI).

This visualization, created in partnership with the National Public Utilities Council, shows the top 10 and bottom 10 countries based on their ETI scores.

How Does the ETI Work?

The ETI is a weighted average of two sub-indexes, system performance (60%) and transition readiness (40%), that rates countries on 46 indicators, including regulation and political engagement, innovation, and infrastructure.

Since the launch of the ETI in 2015, the global average increased from 53.4 to 56.8. However, momentum has slowed recently, and is down 0.3 points since 2022, due to the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and surging inflation interest rates.

The Rankings

The highest energy transition scores come from advanced economies and the top three are Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. The lowest scores, however, come from sub-Saharan Africa.

However, even though sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest regional average score, individual countries are making significant progress. For example, Zimbabwe’s score has increased 33% since 2015, thanks to the increase in their hydropower capacity.

On the other hand, the ETIs of some advanced economies are declining, such as Norway, whose score decreased by 0.4 points over the past nine years. This decrease is due to rising electricity prices and a decline in renewable capacity buildout.

The Largest Economies and the Future

The world’s largest economy, the United States, has remained at 64.0 over the past year. China, however, has moved ahead to 64.1 from 2023 to 2024, thanks to significant growth in areas like batteries, EVs, and high-voltage transmission. The country also allocates the largest share of its GDP to investments in renewables, at 9%.

All countries must dramatically increase their ETI scores to prevent global warming above 1.5 degrees Celsius. While many countries, such as Norway, are stagnating in their progress, others, such as Zimbabwe, exceed expectations for their wealth, signaling the possibility for all countries to meet their climate targets.

U.S. Energy Projects in Interconnection Queues, by State

By the end of 2023, more than 11,000 energy projects were in interconnection queues in the United States, waiting for a green-light from regional grid operators to proceed with construction. 

This map, sponsored by the National Public Utilities Council, maps out the average age of active energy projects in interconnection queues by state, using data from Berkeley Lab. 

Interconnection Queues, Explained

Interconnection queues are lists of energy projects that have made interconnection requests to their regional grid operators. Once submitted, these requests formally initiate the impact study process that each project goes through before grid connection, forming waiting lists for approval known as interconnection queues. 

In recent years, both the number and generation capacity of queued projects have surged in the United States, along with the length of time spent in queue. 

According to Berkeley Lab, the amount of generation capacity entering queues each year has risen by more than 550% from 2015 to 2023, with average queue duration rising from 3 years to 5 years the same period.  

As a result of the growing backlog, a large proportion of projects ultimately withdraw from queues, leading to only 19% of applications reaching commercial operations. 

The Backlog: Number of Projects and Average Wait Times

Of the 11,000 active projects in U.S. queues at the end of 2023, Texas, California, and Virginia had the most in queue; 1,208, 947, and 743, respectively. 

When looking at the average ages of these projects, all three states hovered around the national average of 34 months (2.83 years), with Texas sporting 28 months, California 33, and Virginia 34. 

Vermont, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Florida, on the other hand, had the highest average queue durations; 54, 49, 47, and 46 months, respectively. 

Average Queue Duration by Project Type

At the end of 2023, more than 95% of the generation capacity in active interconnection queues was for emission-free resources. The table below provides a breakdown. 

Wind projects had the highest wait times at the end of 2023 with an average age of 40 months (3.33 years). Solar projects, on the other hand, made up more than 40% of projects in queue. 

Overall, reducing the time that these renewable energy projects spend in queues can accelerate the transition to a low-carbon energy future. 

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, enhancing data transparency, streamlining approval processes, promoting economic efficiency, and maintaining a reliable grid are some of the ways this growing backlog can be mitigated.