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
Category: sustainable energy
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?
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?
Energy in Demand News, August 2-3, 2026
Frank Elderson, a member of the European Central Bank’s executive board, told the Guardian that the climate emergency and the breakdown of nature poses a dramatically growing risk to the global economy. He said it was clear the rising frequency of natural disasters linked to global heating poses a threat to financial stability. “Nature-related risks … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 2-3, 2026
Making solar power available on demand
In an article on The Conversation website, Vera Moerbeek, Doctorante en physique, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS); Université de Perpignan Via Domitia writes about the next generation of energy storage: thermal batteries using thermophotovoltaics (TPV) that could make solar power dispatchable without relying on lithium-ion batteries. What are your views? How next‑generation … Continue reading Making solar power available on demand
Reflections on the IEA’s 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency was definitely front and centre for many this week, starting with the International Energy Agency’s 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in Montreal, June 29-30th. There were around 600 attendees from 60 countries. There were 40 ministers or heads of delegations, with about 25 at the ministerial level. There were about 70 … Continue reading Reflections on the IEA’s 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency
China’s new five-year plan accelerates the energy transition
Anika Patel writes on the Carbon Brief website about China's new five-year energy strategy, which strengthens its commitment to renewable energy while retaining coal as a backup, introduces mandatory clean energy consumption targets, and reinforces its position in global clean-energy competition. China Briefing 25 June 2026: Five-year plans passed | Critical-mineral tensions | Industrial … Continue reading China’s new five-year plan accelerates the energy transition
The petrostate meets the electrostate
In an article on The Conversation website, Philippe Le Billon, Professor, Geography Department and School of Public Policy & Global Affairs, University of British Columbia and Suzanne Duroy, a full-time journalist based in Taiwan, discuss the contrast between America's fossil fuel-based "energy dominance" strategy and China's growing leadership in clean energy, viewed through Taiwan's energy … Continue reading The petrostate meets the electrostate
Renewables can now deliver 24/7 power — and compete on cost
Craig Saueurs writes on the Euronews website about the mix of renewables and storage now challenges fossil fuels on price according to a new report from IRENA. Round-the-clock renewables: New report says clean energy now challenges fossil fuels on price The cost of battery storage has dropped more than 90 per cent since 2010, … Continue reading Renewables can now deliver 24/7 power — and compete on cost
How renewables shielded Britain from soaring gas prices
In an article on the Carbon Brief website, Simon Evans and Ho Woo Nam explain how the UK has avoided the need for gas imports worth £1.7bn since the start of the Iran war, as a result of record electricity generation from wind and solar. Analysis: Wind and solar have saved UK from gas … Continue reading How renewables shielded Britain from soaring gas prices
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 