Energy in Demand News, August 16-17, 2026

The Financial Times, a newspaper of record for business and politics, has become almost passionate about climate change. “Even now, when weather records are being broken, when climate change is demonstrably here, not in the future, we seem frozen. We still go about our carbon-greedy lives: snapping up the last air-conditioning unit, booking another flight, … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 16-17, 2026

Small reactors, big promises — but can SMRs deliver?

Tim Schauenberg writes on the Deutsche Welle website questioning whether SMRs can live up to the considerable claims being made for them, particularly on cost, timing, safety and climate impact. Schauenberg looks at what's behind the SMR hype.   The big catch with small modular nuclear reactors Many politicians and tech companies are now pushing to build new nuclear power … Continue reading Small reactors, big promises — but can SMRs deliver?

Europe looks south for its clean energy future

Felicity Bradstock writes on the Oil Price website about how Europe turning to North Africa’s enormous renewable resources to strengthen energy security and accelerate electrification.   Europe Bets Billions on North Africa’s Clean Energy Potential The EU’s T-MED initiative aims to mobilize billions of euros for renewable energy, hydrogen, clean technology, and electricity networks across … Continue reading Europe looks south for its clean energy future

Batteries: a threat to the grid or the key to its future?

On the Euronews website, Liam Gilliver discusses about a new report that claims that the battery boom could trigger power outages, but experts say the risk is ‘tiny’. Warnings about batteries causing blackouts are overstated, while batteries are becoming essential to making much larger amounts of wind and solar usable.   Batteries can save Europe’s … Continue reading Batteries: a threat to the grid or the key to its future?

Energy storage: Europe’s missing link to energy security

In an article on the Oil Price website, Haley Zaremba discusses how energy storage is the missing link between Europe’s renewable-energy expansion and genuine energy security.   EU Locks In Plan To Triple Energy Storage Capacity By 2030 The EU has agreed to nearly quadruple its energy storage capacity, from 55 GW today to a … Continue reading Energy storage: Europe’s missing link to energy security

The growing cost of climate-proofing France’s energy system

A news item on the IN Power website discusses how the state-owned electric utility, Electricité de France (EDF), plans major investment in resilience across French generation assets. The €8.7 billion programme covers nuclear, hydropower, and island operations through 2040.   EDF assigns €8.7bn to French generation resilience IN Brief: EDF’s €8.7 billion plan covers nuclear, … Continue reading The growing cost of climate-proofing France’s energy system

Can solar farms feed both AI and us?

In an article on The Conversation website, Joshua M. Pearce, John M. Thompson Chair in Information Technology and Innovation and Professor, Western University, discusses the apparent conflict between AI’s huge electricity appetite and protecting farmland, with agrivoltaics offering a way to solve both problems.   ‘Agrivoltaics’ can both power AI data centres and increase food … Continue reading Can solar farms feed both AI and us?

The climate has changed. Now our cities must change too

In an article on the Deutsche Welle website, Sarah Steffen argues that climate adaptation is no longer optional: cities must redesign themselves for conditions that are already changing, while continuing to cut emissions. Western Europe has recorded its hottest-ever June and July, and extreme weather from drought to storms is here to stay. How can … Continue reading The climate has changed. Now our cities must change too

The new energy security: less waste, more resilience

Deborah Gordon and Marko Solomon write on the RMI (formerly the Rocky Mountain Institute) website that that energy security, economic security and climate security can no longer be treated separately—and that efficiency, finance, policy and electrification need to work together.   Bolstering Energy, Economic, and Environmental Security in a Warming World: Learnings from London Climate … Continue reading The new energy security: less waste, more resilience

The price of delay: how climate inaction fuels inflation

In an article on The Conversation website, Ryan M. Katz-Rosene, Associate Professor, School of Political Studies, with Cross-Appointment to Geography, Environment and Geomatics, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa and James Jackson, Lecturer and Research Fellow, School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester argue that today’s fossil-fuel price shocks are not simply geopolitical accidents. Their impact is … Continue reading The price of delay: how climate inaction fuels inflation