Public support for renewable energy and clean electrification is proving to be an effective energy-security policy roadmap for four of the world’s largest oil and gas importers, says a latest global report.
The four countries the report are India, China, Germany and Türkiye. Together, these countries account for about 40% of global oil imports and 27% of gas imports.
According to the new research by International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD), a global think tank based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the changing energy-security scenario means “expanding and diversifying domestic energy supply, reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels, strengthening resilience to price shocks, and lowering energy costs”.
EV strategy works for India
India is using electric vehicles to reduce dependence on imported oil, says the report, even as China is employing solar and wind to meet growing electricity demand at a lower cost. “Germany and Türkiye have used renewable energy to reduce exposure to imported gas,” says an IISD statement.
India, says the report, is reducing its reliance on imported oil with the use of electric vehicles. The country is projected to save USD 7.8 billion for consumers and USD 2.5 billion in import of crude-oil imports by 2035.
Benefits are measurable
The energy security benefits are measurable. “Public financial support for clean energy” is helping these countries to “cut import bills, stabilise prices, protect consumers and strengthen competitiveness”, says the report.
The benefits are most evident when fossil fuel prices spike. “Renewable energy support in Germany and Türkiye delivered an estimated USD 38 billion in combined net savings from avoided gas imports during the 2022 energy crisis. With gas prices elevated again in 2026, the same policies are projected to deliver around USD 39 billion in combined net savings this year,” says an IISD statement on the report.
China has projected savings of USD 1.9 trillion by 2050 with its expanding solar and wind energy replacing coal to meet electricity demand.
In Germany, public support for renewable electricity is reducing dependence on imported gas and vulnerability to price volatility. The projected net savings for Germany on this account is USD 28 billion in 2026. In Türkiye, which is going to co-host COP, the global UN climate conference, generation of renewables is replacing costly gas-fired power and lowering dependence on imported gas. In 2026, the country is projected to clock net savings of USD 11 billion.
Fossil fuel price spike countered
Other than contributing to the savings and the diversification of its energy sources, clean energy support also is bringing for the countries greater control over the technologies and infrastructure. “Taken together, these results show why clean energy is an energy security policy,” says Tara Laan, lead author of the analysis at IISD.
“Every fossil fuel price shock hits importing countries twice: first through higher import bills, and then through the cost of protecting households and businesses from those higher prices. The answer is not to stop protecting people—it is to invest in solutions that reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets,” Laan adds.
“Across four very different economies, we see the same result: public support for renewables and electrification can build lasting energy security,” she concludes.
Dropped large hint for G20 countries
Significantly, the analysis came close to the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial in Houston, Texas, that was held Sept 14 to 16; where ministers discuss deregulation, faster permitting and expanded energy production.
“Governments should spend smarter, not always spend more: shifting public support from fossil fuels toward people and clean energy; targeting support at the bottlenecks holding back renewables and electrification; using competitive, predictable and time-bound measures; and embedding reduced fossil fuel exposure in national energy, investment and transition plans,” says the IISD statement.
Investment in fossil fuels, however, remains much higher than in renewables. The report points out that global public financial support for fossil fuels, including subsidies, investment by state-owned enterprises and international public finance, “exceeded USD 1.2 trillion in 2024, compared with USD 254 billion for clean energy”. Government can protect poorer households and enterprises through targeted social protection, simultaneously redirecting public support toward clean energy and technologies.