A new article is out: Clean energy challenges and innovation opportunities in Kazakhstan
The SDSN Kazakhstan team has published an article on "Clean energy challenges and innovation opportunities in Kazakhstan" in the Environmental Research Communications (ERC) Journal.
This study identifies and assesses the enablers and barriers related to clean energy innovation in Kazakhstan. Using the combination of SWOT analysis, survey data from 41 experts and the DEMATEL decision support tool, the authors evaluated the key factors affecting Kazakhstan's clean energy innovation and their implications for energy transition.
Assessment results show that the immature business environment, underpinned by technological, institutional, and socioeconomic factors, is perceived as a high-impact constraint for clean energy innovation and green finance deployment in Kazakhstan. Skilled labour shortages, high reliance on hydrocarbons and low retail energy prices are significant challenges to Kazakhstan's clean energy innovation. The low-profit margin and high investment risk in clean energy projects are identified as transition barriers in the power and energy-intensive industries. In contrast, Kazakhstan's endowments of resources critical for developing clean energy technologies (rare earth metals, uranium, gas) and the potential of low-carbon investments (e.g. carbon storage) are perceived as prominent enablers of clean energy innovation. Results are consistent across expert subgroups (academia, industry, NGOs, etc). Findings call for policy support to modern and attractive business environments, capacity, and human capital development. The findings can provide helpful insights for countries in Central Asia and beyond with similar socioeconomic structures that aim for a timely energy transition.
Acknowledgements: This research project was supported as part of Nazarbayev University’s “Transition to Sustainable Energy Program” implemented by SDSN Kazakhstan in 2022-2023 and funded by Chevron.