In-depth Analysis and Consulting on Sustainable Energy Technologies, Policies, and Markets

The new study “Green Hydrogen and Regional Cooperation in Central Asia”, published by H2-diplo, offers a comprehensive assessment of the opportunities and challenges for green hydrogen development in Central Asia. It highlights how regional integration and joint action can unlock the transformative potential of green hydrogen for decarbonisation, economic diversification, and industrial development.
Despite abundant solar and wind potential, renewable energy represented just 2% of electricity generation in Central Asia in 2022. Unlocking this potential will require not only large-scale investment in renewable power and infrastructure, but also close coordination between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The study argues that regional cooperation is essential for building compatible certification schemes for hydrogen and its derivatives, enabling cross-border infrastructure planning, improving access to finance, and aligning educational and workforce strategies. It draws on lessons from other regional initiatives such as CertHiLAC in Latin America and highlights the need for a modular approach to certification – including digital product passports, mutual recognition, and transparent tracking systems.
At the same time, the report points to the need for green hydrogen strategies that go beyond exports. While major projects like Hyrasia One aim to supply green ammonia to Europe, significant potential also exists to decarbonise domestic industries such as fertiliser production, steelmaking, and refining. Repurposing existing natural gas infrastructure and investment in coordinating water and energy demands will be key to scaling green hydrogen in a resource-constrained region.
Finally, the report identifies the importance of investing in human capital. Despite growing political support for carbon neutrality, most Central Asian countries face significant gaps in hydrogen-related research, technical education, and industry. University cooperation, targeted programs, regional training centres, and academic exchange are highlighted as critical to ensure the availability of a skilled workforce.
By mapping out key priorities from certification and infrastructure to education and trade, the study provides a roadmap for joint action and supports the region’s integration into the global hydrogen economy.

Read the Report

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) produces comprehensive, reliable datasets on renewable energy capacity and use worldwide. Renewable energy statistics 2025 provides datasets on power-generation capacity for 2015-2024, actual power generation for 2015-2023 and renewable energy balances for over 150 countries and areas for 2022-2023.
Data was obtained from various sources, including an IRENA questionnaire, official national statistics, industry association reports, consultant reports and news articles. Major trends in the sector worldwide are outlined in the accompanying brief, Renewable energy highlights.
The yearbook also includes statistics on investments in renewables, compiled from the OECD-DAC database and 16 major multi-lateral, bilateral and national development financial institutions, spanning 2014-2023. The investment data is presented in millions of United States dollars (USD million) at 2022 prices.
Data on renewable power capacity represents the maximum net generating capacity of power plants and other installations that use renewable energy sources to produce electricity. For most countries and technologies, the data reflects the capacity installed and connected at the end of the calendar year.
Capacity is presented in megawatts (MW), while generation is presented in gigawatt-hours (GWh). Pumped storage, although included in part of hydropower data, is excluded from total renewable energy. The previous editions and complete electricity generation and capacity dataset from 2000 onwards are available for download on the Data and Statistics web pages. Tools to analyse the data further are also available here and here.
The previous editions and complete electricity generation and capacity dataset from 2000 onwards are available for download on the Data and Statistics web pages. Tools to analyse the data further are also available here and here.

Read the Report

Green hydrogen can play an important role in advancing the energy transition in Central Asia and the South Caucasus by supporting the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industries, advancing industrial innovation, enhancing energy security and setting the foundation for a diversified economic future.
However, fossil fuel dependence, policy and energy market barriers, ageing infrastructure, water stress and the absence of a robust strategy are key barriers to the development of green hydrogen in the region that comprises Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
This report presents key drivers for green hydrogen development include decarbonisation commitments, renewable energy potential, growing investor interest and the need to address hard-to-decarbonise industries. It also highlights the need to address policy, market, infrastructure and skills-related gaps, and outlines targeted, region-specific recommendations to advance green hydrogen development.
Given the diversity of the region, the report calls for a co-ordinated and phased approach that prioritises “no-regret” applications of green hydrogen, including the greening of existing hard-to-decarbonise sectors and local value creation. It also highlights the importance of integrating hydrogen policies into broader energy and industrial policy objectives, and promoting institutional and human capacities to ensure the sustainable deployment of green hydrogen in the region.

Read the Report

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) produces comprehensive statistics on various topics related to renewable energy. This publication presents renewable power generation capacity statistics for the past decade (2015-2024) in trilingual tables in English, French and Spanish. Renewable power generation capacity is measured as the maximum net generating capacity of power plants and other installations that use renewable energy sources to produce electricity. For most countries and technologies, the data reflects the capacity installed and connected at the end of the calendar year. Data has been obtained from various sources, including an IRENA questionnaire, official national statistics, industry association reports, other reports, and news articles.

Read the Report

Solar photovoltaic (PV) is rapidly growing globally, with solar energy accounting for 73% of the 345 GW of renewable energy capacity added in 2023, according to IRENA. Armenia, despite its small size and energy dependency (80% of energy imported), has emerged as a regional leader in PV with 470 MW installed by 2024, over half from 17,000 rooftop systems. The country has adopted strategic policies like the Renewable Energy Development Program (2022) and aims for 1.5 GW of PV by 2040. A liberalized energy market and reforms support this growth, but challenges remain, including grid bottlenecks and market scalability.

The ENABLING PV project, initiated by eclareon and BSW-Solar in 2013, promotes PV deployment through international cooperation and local partnerships. Armenia’s potential PV capacity by 2050 is estimated at 2.6 GW, equal to its total installed power capacity in 2023. This report aims to foster German-Armenian collaboration to expand renewables in Armenia.

Read the Report

Green hydrogen offers a sustainable solution to reduce emissions in hard-to-abate sectors, and has the potential to play a leading role in global decarbonisation efforts. With countries committing to net-zero emissions by 2050, the global green hydrogen sector is poised for significant growth, supported by substantial investment and broad international cooperation. As of May 2024, more than 50 countries had published national hydrogen strategies, setting targets for a projected electrolyser capacity of 113.5 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and 287 GW by 2050.

This report draws on the lessons learned from the crafting of these hydrogen strategies to assist policy makers in drafting (or updating) strategies of their own, including their potential to drive economic growth, and foster investor confidence and industrial development. The report also addresses various challenges hindering the adoption of green hydrogen, such as technological, economic and regulatory barriers. It calls for flexible and adaptive strategies to navigate these obstacles, ensuring the successful deployment and integration of hydrogen technologies.

The report also addresses long-term planning, barrier identification, export considerations, target and priority setting, governance and policies, and provides a step-by-step methodology to guide the drafting of hydrogen strategies.

Read the Report

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) provides reliable datasets on global renewable energy capacity and use. The 2024 report includes data on power-generation capacity (2014–2023), actual power generation (2014–2022), and energy balances (2021–2022) for over 150 countries. Data is sourced from IRENA surveys, national statistics, industry reports, and other reliable sources.

Investment statistics (2013–2022) are included, based on data from OECD-DAC and 20 major financial institutions, presented in USD at 2021 prices. Renewable power capacity reflects the maximum net generating capacity of installations, measured in megawatts (MW), while generation is reported in gigawatt-hours (GWh). Pumped storage is included under hydropower but excluded from total renewable energy figures.

Read the Report

Russia is signaling its interest in joining the global hydrogen race and envisions itself as a future hydrogen supplier for Europe and the Asia-Pacific. This chapter analyzes the strategic hydrogen opportunities in Russia in the context of global events and low-carbon developments.

The main message is that Russian hydrogen development is likely to be determined more by a technological strategic orientation than by domestic market demand. The failure to develop a domestic market and lack of matching demand will become serious obstacles to achieving Russia’s ambitious technology development goals. Without significant domestic hydrogen demand, Russian hydrogen technologies will miss commercialization opportunities and a suitable scale-up. A significant increase in domestic low-carbon hydrogen demand can only occur by adopting more ambitious national decarbonization policies, which seem unlikely in the foreseeable future.

This chapter points out that stimulating domestic hydrogen demand can also be achieved by tightening transport emission standards, setting targets for the public transport sector, phasing in hydrogen content in gas distribution networks, and implementing a variety of tax incentives and subsidies.

Read the Report

Renewable power generation capacity is measured as the maximum net generating capacity of power plants and other installations that use renewable energy sources to produce electricity. For most countries and technologies, the data reflects the capacity installed and connected at the end of the calendar year. Data has been obtained from a variety of sources, including an IRENA questionnaire, official national statistics, industry association reports, other reports and news articles.

Read the Report

The analysis underscores the significant role of the transportation sector as a source of greenhouse gas emissions in Kazakhstan, accounting for approximately 10%. With Kazakhstan's strategic geographic location and the government's ambition to develop international transit logistics routes, the sector is poised for continued growth. However, it heavily relies on petroleum products for energy, highlighting the urgent need for decarbonization to achieve the country's goal of carbon neutrality by 2060.

Hydrogen technologies emerge as a pivotal solution, aligning with global trends observed in over 25 countries, including those with similar geographical and economic profiles to Kazakhstan. Notably, China, with its extensive border with Kazakhstan, leads in hydrogen transportation initiatives, as seen in projects like the Belt and Road Initiative. Recommendations for policymakers emphasize integrating the transportation sector into the national hydrogen strategy, synchronizing energy and transportation policies, analyzing international best practices, aligning development goals with hydrogen production, fostering stakeholder coordination, adapting regulations to international standards, and enhancing international collaboration on hydrogen transport initiatives.

These efforts not only address emissions reduction but also position Kazakhstan as a key player in the global hydrogen economy.

Read the Report

This report emphasizes the critical importance of developing a country's entire hydrogen value chain, from production to end use. It discusses the benefits of this comprehensive approach, particularly in terms of industrial development, innovation, and sustainable development dimensions, including energy independence.

The report argues that achieving a just transition is contingent on adopting this integrated strategy. Acknowledging the inherent complexities, the report addresses multifaceted problems, contrasting the appeal of simpler export-focused strategies. It outlines organizational strategies for navigating these complexities, advocating for a phased approach from small to large projects, prioritizing domestic demand.

The document also explores options for local production of equipment and components, highlighting how large green hydrogen projects can address water stress and food security concerns. Finally, the report underscores the critical roles of standardization and international cooperation in effectively managing challenges and realizing the potential of green hydrogen initiatives.

Read the Report

The solar PV sector has seen rapid global growth, driven by cost reductions and expanding markets. In 2013, eclareon and the German Solar Association initiated the "ENABLING PV" project to promote PV applications in new markets. Kyrgyzstan, with its untapped solar potential, was the subject of the first report in 2018, followed by the updated study in 2023, available here and highlighting changes in energy policy and regulation. Cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Germany aims to support market stakeholders through round table discussions.

Read the Report

SEI, Climate Analytics, E3G, IISD, and UNEP. (2023). The Production Gap: Phasing down or phasing up? Top fossil fuel producers plan even more extraction despite climate promises. Stockholm Environment Institute, Climate Analytics, E3G, International Institute for Sustainable Development and United Nations Environment Programme.

This is the fourth edition of the Production Gap Report, first issued in 2019. The report tracks the misalignment between governments’ planned fossil fuel production and global production levels consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C. The report represents a collaboration of several research and academic institutions, including inputs and reviews from more than 80 experts from 30 countries spanning the Global North and Global South. The report is externally peer-reviewed, with additional guidance and support from the United Nations Environment Programme, and review by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s government focal points. This year’s report features two major updates to the production gap analysis, drawing on the new mitigation scenarios database compiled for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report and changes in government plans and projections since August 2021. The report also provides individual country profiles for 20 major fossil-fuel-producing countries, evaluating governments’ latest climate ambitions and their plans, policies, and strategies that support fossil fuel production or the transition away from it. The production gap analysis is based on recent and publicly accessible plans and projections for fossil fuel production published by governments and affiliated institutions. Other information presented throughout the report, such as details on fossil fuel investments and policies is supported by a mix of government, intergovernmental, peer-review, and other research sources listed in the references.

Read the Report

The article presents a comprehensive review of Russia's renewable energy potential, encompassing hydro, solar, wind, geothermal energy, biomass, and the potential for low-carbon hydrogen production. It delves into the technical potential, major development trends, existing opportunities, and significant barriers within the sector. Moreover, it examines the key policies and drivers that have an impact on the industry, and it outlines a forecast for the future of renewable energy in the country amid the current era of global confrontation.

Read the Report

Over 70 countries globally have drafted or adopted national hydrogen strategies, but countries in Central Asia, the Caspian region, and Eastern Europe are still evaluating hydrogen's role in their long-term strategies. In the 2022 hydrogen studies (IRENA, Hydrogen Council), these countries are considered a "gray zone" and excluded from modeling due to lack of data. However, nine countries in this study cover an area and population about double that of Argentina, and their combined CO2 emissions equal Germany's. These countries' transition towards low-carbon development and establishing a hydrogen economy will be determined by their individual policies, energy sector state, growth rates, and infrastructural opportunities and constraints. The countries can be divided into four groups with similar policies and features. The potential production of low-carbon hydrogen in all countries is 3.4-13.2 Mt annually by 2040, with gas-producing countries having an advantage. Four scenario models were identified for hydrogen economy deployment, but each country's transition will depend on national economic circumstances. Implementing pilot projects and developing joint export-oriented strategies will unlock the potential of the hydrogen sector.

Read the Report

This article, available in German and Russian, describes the status of the Russian hydrogen strategy as of February 2022 and analyzes the main consequences of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine on future of hydrogen economy in Russia

Read the Report