“Emerging markets can deploy solar, wind  and other renewable technologies without costly grid infrastructure, making it possible for developing countries to leapfrog the 20th-century model of energy service provision and employ the 21st-century solution of distributed service delivery, as they have done successfully in the telecommunications sector,” notes the report.

For the United States, said Pew’s Cuttino, the trend is a major business opportunity to sell large amounts of renewable energy technology around the world — provided, that is, that we remain a world leader in the sector.

“This ought to be a priority for the world for climate reasons, but it also ought to be a priority for the United States for export reasons,” she said.

This will give you hope: Developing countries are racing to install wind and solar