• Commentary

        • 23 Jun 2026

        How accelerating electrification could strengthen energy security in Southeast Asia

        …For example, around 30% of energy consumed in Brunei Darussalam and Viet Nam is electricity, up from less than 20% in the mid-2000s. Some segments of the economy are also seeing rapid growth in electrification: in 2025, EV sales in the region more than doubled year-over-year and accounted for nearly 20% of all car sales – higher than the sales share in a number of advanced economies.Even so, there remains significant potential to further expand electrification across Southeast Asia’s industry, transport and buildings sectors – supporting more secure, affordable and sustainable energy systems across the region. Several of…

        • Commentary

        • 03 Jun 2026

        India’s electricity demand grows at night: Managing rising cooling demand

        India cooling commentary As India’s cooling demand surges alongside solar power capacity, ensuring sufficient nighttime power capacity is key Power consumption in India is on the rise amid economic and population growth, as well as the growing use of air conditioning as more households purchase units and temperatures increase. Since 2019, the country’s electricity demand has increased by 5% per year. While electricity supply has kept pace, solar PV has accounted for two-thirds of power capacity additions in India since 2019. Against this backdrop, ensuring adequate power generation capacity during periods of peak demand is emerging as…

        • Commentary

        • 19 Jan 2026

        7 certainties about energy for this age of uncertainty

        ED commentary The energy sector, like many others, is contending with a blizzard of uncertainties, complicating the work of policymakers, business leaders and investors.Geopolitical twists and turns are straining long-established relationships and upending deeply held assumptions. The World Uncertainty Index, devised by economists from the IMF and Stanford University, has hit unprecedented levels in recent months.But in this time of flux, there are still some important trends that we can identify with some confidence. Here are seven that can help us keep our bearings: The world has entered the age of electricity Oil and gas will still…

        • Commentary

        • 13 Feb 2026

        Global battery markets are growing strongly – and so are the supply risks

        …over 20% from 2024, but its economic and strategic significance extends far beyond market size. Batteries are becoming a cornerstone of the automotive sector, a critical source of flexibility for power systems, and an increasingly important source of back-up power for digital infrastructure, including data centres and artificial intelligence.Beyond energy, batteries remain indispensable for a wide range of industrial and strategic applications, from portable electronics and unmanned defence systems to emerging technologies such as humanoid robots. As applications diversify and costs continue to fall, batteries are evolving into a foundational component of modern economies. This shift carries far…

        • Commentary

        • 29 May 2026

        Battery storage is scaling up and taking on a larger system role

        Commentary As the result of falling costs and greater flexibility needs, battery storage is playing a growing role in power systems worldwide, acting as a “multi-tool” that can provide a range of critical 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…

        • Commentary

        • 23 Jan 2026

        Investment in next-generation geothermal is surging. Policies are key to further growth

        …These technologies are advancing quickly, potentially enabling economically-viable geothermal development nearly anywhere in the world. The IEA’s Future of Geothermal Energy report, published in late 2024, estimated that with continued technology improvements and reductions in project costs, next-generation geothermal could meet up to 15% of global electricity demand growth to 2050. Geothermal technology families Next-generation geothermal technology remains at an early stage of development. In general, geothermal projects remain among the most capital-intensive in the energy sector, with drilling and well costs often representing up to 80% of total costs. Yet the past year has…

        • Commentary

        • 22 Mar 2026

        Wired for water: How electrification is transforming desalination

        …water-energy nexus Pressure on water resources is increasing worldwide and can be very acute at the local level. Rising consumption across sectors combined with population growth in already water-stressed regions is intensifying water scarcity. Desalination has long been developed to supply fresh water in the most affected areas, with significant implications for the energy system: energy use ranges from under 0.1% to as much as 15% of total final consumption, depending on national reliance. However, a shift is underway from thermal desalination technologies to electricity-driven systems as the Age of Electricity reshapes the water-energy nexus…

        • Commentary

        • 08 Jun 2026

        International collaboration continues to power innovation in energy technologies

        …Many of the original initiatives remain active today, continuously evolving to meet emerging technological breakthroughs and global energy challenges. The newest TCP – established earlier this year – focuses on Critical Minerals and Material Recovery, an increasingly important topic for policymakers and technology developers.  This week, representatives of the TCPs are convening at the IEA’s headquarters in Paris for the sixth Universal TCP Meeting. Participants will focus on priorities for strengthening international collaboration on innovation and the role that innovation plays in supporting governments’ ambitions to achieve a secure, sustainable and affordable energy future. The meeting will also welcome the Mission…

        • Commentary

        • 15 Jun 2026

        From farms to fuel: Ukraine’s biomethane opportunity for energy security and European decarbonisation

        …emissions gas. Home to the largest agricultural land area in Europe, Ukraine has the resource potential to become one of the continent’s leading biomethane producers, supplying both its domestic market and the EU via an already existing pipeline infrastructure.The first exports of biomethane come at a critical moment. Repeated Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have exposed the vulnerabilities of centralised energy supply. Although biomethane relies on the same gas distribution and transmission infrastructure as natural gas, its production is inherently more decentralised than domestic natural gas extraction, reducing exposure to disruptions affecting individual production sites. Biogas and…

        • Commentary

        • 17 Feb 2026

        Sodium-ion battery momentum grows, but challenges remain

        batteries commentary sodium batteries Recent technological advances and investment announcements suggest dynamics are shifting for sodium-ion batteries Sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a new player in battery markets, offering opportunities to diversify battery chemistries and supply chains at a time of rising global demand for electric vehicles and energy storage. Developed in laboratories since the early 1980s, sodium-ion batteries operate on the same fundamental principles as lithium‑ion batteries – which currently dominate the market – yet their path to commercialisation has been markedly slower.While lithium-ion batteries entered commercial use in the 1990s – with the first electric vehicles…

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