As the global race toward net-zero intensifies, the challenge is no longer just about deploying more clean energy. It’s about deploying it faster, smarter, and more equitably.
In this interview, Roberto Bocca, head of Energy and Materials and a member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum (WEF), explores the WEF’s approach to advancing clean energy deployment, particularly in regions facing infrastructure and equity challenges. He discusses the importance of stakeholder collaboration, how artificial intelligence is both a driver and a demand on the energy system, and why modernizing electricity networks is essential to meet rising global demand. He emphasizes that “responsible deployment” of renewables isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity for scaling with speed, stability, and social support.
How is the WEF’s Clean Power and Electrification program aligning global stakeholders to meet 2030 clean energy goals, and where do you see the greatest opportunities to strengthen collaboration?
The World Economic Forum’s Center for Energy and Materials vision is to accelerate the transition to a secure, sustainable, and equitable energy system that enables positive economic and social development.
Our program work on Clean Power and Electrification brings together global leaders to align around effective strategies for scaling clean power and modernizing electricity systems. As energy demand grows rapidly, driven by factors like electrification, AI, and economic development, there is an urgent need to move away from traditional, centralized power grids toward more flexible and modern networks.
Our work is organized into three key areas: Power System Transformation, Responsible Renewables Infrastructure, and Accelerating New Nuclear, through which leaders from government, industry, technology, and civil society identify shared priorities and mobilize action.
Along with our stakeholders, the Forum recently developed a framework on the actions and strategies to enable advanced nuclear to scale. This framework is being used to spark dialogue, alignment and planning in certain regions, including in Southeast Asia.
A key focus of the program is to spotlight and scale what’s working. Simply adding more generation capacity is not enough. Whether it’s AI-enabled grid operations, demand-side innovations in sectors like cooling and heavy industry, or next-generation market models, we help surface and amplify strategies that can accelerate deployment. This year, the program will foster a global exchange on business model innovation and technologies that can overcome legacy grid constraints, as well as address supply chain bottlenecks that hinder scale.
To support long-term development goals, clean energy strategies need to be integrated into broader national and regional planning efforts. This is particularly important in regions like the Middle East and North Africa, where demand for electricity is growing alongside urban expansion and digital infrastructure development. Involving a wider range of stakeholders, such as urban planners, utilities, and digital infrastructure providers, can help ensure energy system investments are better aligned with economic and social priorities.
What does “responsible deployment” of renewables look like in practice, particularly in emerging economies facing both infrastructure deficits and social inequities?
“Responsible deployment” means accelerating renewable energy projects in ways that carefully manage social and environmental risks from the very start and throughout development. As countries work to triple renewable capacity by 2030, this buildout will inevitably intersect with land, ecosystems, and communities, raising the risk of delays, opposition, and rising costs if not addressed upfront.
Key practices include involving local communities in decision-making, choosing sites that minimize environmental harm, integrating local economic benefits such as job creation, and protecting biodiversity. These steps help smooth project approvals, build stronger local support, and improve access to finance linked to environmental and social standards.
In emerging economies, where infrastructure challenges and social inequalities are greater, responsible deployment can deliver multiple benefits from new employment and energy access to improved climate resilience.
Many countries and companies are already actively prioritizing responsible policies and approaches, and it is important to share these experiences. In this context, the World Economic Forum’s Responsible Renewables Infrastructure initiative, together with the Clean Energy Ministerial, is compiling case studies showcasing best practices, with a launch planned at the CEM16 Ministerial meeting in Busan, Korea this August.
Responsible deployment doesn’t mean slowing progress; rather, it means building smarter to reduce risks and unlock lasting value.
As electricity demand skyrockets, from homes to data centers, how is the Power System Transformation initiative addressing the challenge of maintaining both affordability and energy security while scaling clean generation?
Electricity demand is increasing sharply in some parts of the world, but not everywhere. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), globally, electricity consumption grew by 4.3 percent in 2024 and is projected to rise by nearly 4 percent annually through 2027, driven largely by emerging and developing economies.
In the Middle East, demand grew by 3.2 percent in 2024 and is expected to continue rising at around 3 percent annually. This is especially visible in fast-growing cities, where digital infrastructure, urbanization, cooling demand, and industrial electrification are key drivers.
While electricity demand isn’t skyrocketing everywhere, it is set to grow steadily in regions experiencing economic growth, AI-related development, and expanding electrification. At the same time, electricity generation is becoming more decentralized and variable, requiring power systems to evolve to better balance supply and demand.
To enable this shift, the Forum’s Center for Energy and Materials is launching a new initiative on Power System Transformation. It will focus on actions and innovations needed to move from traditional, centralized power systems to modern, decentralized, and flexible electricity networks.
Some areas of focus will include:
- Grid flexibility and resilience
- Market design and policy
- Business models and innovation
AI is already playing a role in the clean energy shift, but it also comes with its own energy footprint. Where is AI making the biggest positive difference right now, and what’s still standing in the way of its full potential in supporting a net-zero future?
Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a growing role in accelerating the clean energy transition, but it also increases electricity demand, creating an “AI energy paradox.” In fact, the Forum published a White Paper this January entitled AI’s Energy Paradox: Balancing Challenges and Opportunities on this theme. It highlights the need to balance AI’s power consumption with its ability to drive efficiency and decarbonization.
While AI’s power consumption is not yet well understood, existing research shows that its electricity demand is expanding. AI-related electricity consumption could rise by up to 50 percent annually. In addition, according to the IEA’s most recent report, a typical AI-data center consumes as much electricity as 100,000 households, but the largest ones under construction today will consume 20 times as much.
At the same time, AI has begun to deliver benefits across the energy system, including:
- Efficiency gains: AI-driven building management can reduce electricity use by up to 30 percent, while broader applications have cut energy consumption by 10–60 percent in some cases.
- Renewables integration: Smarter forecasting can help utilities better balance supply and demand, boosting solar and wind reliability.
- Grid resilience: AI can optimize battery storage, outage response, and electric vehicle charging to align with peak renewable output.
- Operational improvements: One example from an advanced manufacturing company has demonstrated that AI-enabled smart manufacturing lowered their emissions by 26 percent, cut material waste by 47 percent, and reduced electricity use by 23 percent.
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