Energy transition is accelerating across countries worldwide

The energy transition is accelerating across countries worldwide, according to the 2019 World Energy Trilemma Index.

Created by the World Energy Council, in partnership with global consultancy Oliver Wyman, the index provides an objective rating of national energy policy and performance relating to energy security, energy equity and the environmental sustainability of energy systems. 

Among the findings:

•  Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark are the top three rated countries across all three Trilemma dimensions in 2019. These countries have maintained consistent and balanced performance coupled with steady economic and population growth for a number of years.
•  Cambodia, Myanmar and the Dominican Republic have shown the biggest improvements in the overall Trilemma over the past 20 years, as a result of a focus on electrification, energy generation diversity and infrastructure investment.
• While the top environmental sustainability performers in 2019 are also Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark, China and Poland have significantly improved and are rapidly and tangibly decarbonising, making the greatest change to their 2000 baseline sustainability performance.
•  The rate of improvement in overall Trilemma performance also appears to be increasing – half of the countries have consistently improved overall scores since 2015, while fewer than 20 countries consistently improved scores since 2000.

Francois Austin, Partner and Global Head of Energy, Oliver Wyman, adds: ‘The 2019 Trilemma Index shows that the significantly improved nations are undergoing a faster-paced energy transition by balancing policy, corporate action, national resource usage and changes to individual behavior with environmental concerns. Looking at these trends in aggregate as well as at the national and regional level can give policymakers and business leaders direction to shape the future of energy.’

Comprehensive data and analytical insights are a necessary tool for policymakers to develop a coherent approach to the global energy future. To make these insights widely available, the World Energy Council and Oliver Wyman also launched a new Trilemma interactive online tool featuring countries’ energy profiles and Trilemma performance since the year 2000, which can be found at www.trilemma.worldenergy.org