Nearly half of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries are now adopting solar power at a faster rate than the United States. According to the authors of the newly released report, these emerging economies are using clean energy to bypass traditional fossil fuel systems and secure a faster path to prosperity.
The report states that “46% of CVF nations, measured by electricity demand, have leapfrogged the United States in solar penetration.” It further notes that “in 8 out of 10 CVF countries, solar panel imports are at least three times higher than official statistics suggest.”
This means that many developing countries, despite having fewer financial resources, are using a higher percentage of solar energy in their power systems than one of the world’s wealthiest nations. Because many people in these areas live far from a traditional power grid, small and affordable solar panels are often the quickest and cheapest way to get electricity for the first time, allowing them to skip the expensive process of building large fossil fuel plants.
The report “The electric fast-track for emerging markets” was published globally by energy think tank Ember, in partnership with the Climate Vulnerable Forum, on 2 April 2026. Authored by a team including Daan Walter and Sam Butler-Sloss, the analysis details how developing nations can bypass fossil fuel reliance through scalable and affordable electric technologies.
