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Battery storage is scaling up and taking on a larger system role
…system services at once. According to the latest data, the deployment of batteries expanded strongly in 2025 and broadened across markets – with rapid growth in countries such as Australia and Saudi Arabia, where storage is increasingly being used to support the integration of rising shares of variable renewables.In regions that have been at the forefront of renewable integration and battery deployment, batteries now play an essential role in continuously balancing electricity demand and supply. Comparatively short construction and development timelines are further supporting the rapid deployment of utility-scale batteries in particular: in many markets, projects typically take around…
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Energy Innovation
CERT co-ordinates and promotes the development, demonstration and deployment of clean energy technologies. The CERT has established five working parties: the Working Party on Fossil Energy; the Working Party on Renewable Energy Technologies; the Working Party on Energy End-Use Technologies; the Fusion Power Co-ordinating Committee and the Working Party of Industrial Decarbonisation. The CERT has also established an Experts' Group on R&D Priority-Setting and Evaluation (EGRD) to advise on R&D priority-setting, linkages to governmental policy objectives and methods in the evaluation of R&D activities, and an understanding of emerging R&D topics. Energy…
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Aviation
Aviation
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Energy crisis threatens world’s most vulnerable as cooking fuel shortages grow
The Energy Crisis hits the Homefront: A growing shortage of cooking fuels The Middle East crisis has highlighted the energy security risks for a fundamental need: the ability to cook a meal The conflict in the Middle East has triggered a global energy crisis of unprecedented magnitude. The daily volumes of oil lost to global markets in March 2026 surpassed the peak supply losses of the two major oil shocks of the 1970s combined.Previous energy crises affected economies and societies in profound ways, often forcing households to ration fuel for their cars and heating for their homes. The 2026…
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Energy and Gender
…positions has been rising faster than the economy-wide average since 2015. Renewables and nuclear have seen particularly strong progress, while there have only been marginal gains in oil and gas supply, and coal witnessed declines. Women’s share of leadership roles in the energy sector now stands at 18% – up from 13% in 2015, but still below the economy-wide average of 25%. Nearly one in three people lack access to clean cooking, disproportionately affecting women and children Women disproportionately endure the negative consequences of a lack of access to clean cooking fuel supplies. In addition to health risks…
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Buildings
Buildings
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Industry
Industry
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Russia's War on Ukraine
…their energy security. At the same time, cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels are growing faster than ever. Due in part to policies unveiled by governments after February 2022, the world’s capacity to produce renewable power is expanding at a remarkable place , while the popularity of clean technologies such as electric vehicles and heat pumps is surging. The biggest legacy of the global energy crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine may be that it accelerates the end of the fossil fuel era - with IEA projections now showing that under today's policy settings, demand for oil, gas and coal…
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Designing an effective strategic stockpiling system for critical minerals
critical minerals 2025 was the year when the risks of highly concentrated critical minerals supply chains materialised at scale The IEA has long warned of the potential security risks associated with the high concentration of critical mineral supply chains. In 2025, these risks became a reality, marking a major turning point for global economic security. The rare earths export controls announced by China in October 2025 posed major national and economic security risks across the world, with potentially severe impacts for a range of strategic sectors including energy, automotive, defence, aerospace, AI and semiconductors. Earlier export controls introduced in April…
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Sodium-ion battery momentum grows, but challenges remain
…batteries, also released an advanced sodium‑ion battery designed for electric cars last year.These investments are driven primarily by the goals of improving battery performance in cold climates and reducing exposure to lithium‑price volatility. Sodium‑ion batteries exhibit significantly better low‑temperature performance than lithium‑ion batteries, particularly lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistries. The latest generation of sodium-ion batteries can retain around 90% of nominal capacity at temperatures as low as -40 °C, and can operate at temperatures as high as 70 °C.In addition, sodium-ion batteries do not rely on lithium, which has been subject to price swings in recent years. For…