Europe is currently contending with its third energy crisis in four years against the backdrop of near-constant global geopolitical friction and fracas. The continent’s over-reliance on foreign fossil fuel imports has been thrown into sharp relief in recent months and years as the European Union has struggled to catch its breath and stabilize markets in the vanishingly short time spans between global oil shocks. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, Europe as a whole depended on Russian producers for 40 percent of the continent’s…

To accelerate the global green transition, several energy companies are developing more durable and efficient renewable energy equipment, such as wind turbines and solar panels. This has been hugely successful in recent decades, with the creation of larger, stronger wind turbines and more efficient, resilient solar panels. As companies continue to improve renewable energy equipment and technology, several innovations could significantly help to boost energy production in the coming years. Global wind energy additions are expected to total 160 GW…

The U.S. energy system has helped mitigate the shock loss of oil and LNG supply from the Middle East when the Strait of Hormuz closed to traffic and sent refiners and gas importers worldwide scrambling for alternative supply. The record American crude oil production and huge natural gas production and rising LNG exports were decades in the making, during which companies invested billions of dollars every year to increase oil, natural gas, and fuel supply, the American Petroleum Institute (API) said in an analysis this week. But the role of “the…

Southeast Asia has been hit harder than anywhere else on Earth by the energy crisis stemming from the War in Iran, leaving many nations scrambling to shore up localized energy supply chains. The newfound volatility in global energy markets has catalyzed the clean energy transition worldwide, but particularly in cash-strapped, import-dependent nations, of which there are many in Southeast Asia. But the rapidly developing region’s ageing and overburdened grids are ill prepared for a quick build-out of indigenous renewable energy capacity, threatening…

The months-long closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led to severe fuel shortages around the globe, as companies battle to continue operations. Airlines have been hit hard as they struggle to obtain enough jet fuel to maintain their regular flight schedules. The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a key trade corridor connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, via which roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil is transported when fully operational. Several months of closures…

Scientists at UC Davis and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory just made a major breakthrough in the design of nuclear fusion reactors. The team is at the vanguard of a new field of nuclear fusion research known as materials-driven fusion, which focuses on what the reactors are made up of in order to maximize efficiency and lower the temperature at which fusion can reliably occur. “Instead of designing materials just to survive the harsh conditions of fusion, researchers might be able to design materials that boost the reaction in specific…

Iran has effectively rejected expectations of an imminent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, laying out sweeping conditions that would require the United States to fundamentally change its policy toward Tehran. In a statement issued by Mohammad Baqer Zolghadr, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Tehran said the strait would remain closed until Washington ends what Iran described as its hostile behavior. The six demands include an end to U.S. threats and military action, a permanent end to the war, withdrawal of U.S. naval and…

Europe is deepening its ties with North Africa to develop stronger clean energy connections between the two regions in support of a green transition. The European Union and several European countries have invested in Morocco and Egypt in recent years to support renewable energy development in countries with favourable climate conditions for energy production. Over the coming decade, Europe and North Africa are expected to establish a stronger clean energy trade corridor that will help both regions decrease reliance on fossil fuels.  In June,…

Europe desperately needs an energy storage revolution. As the region gets rocked by the third energy crisis in four years, the continent’s insufficient indigenous energy systems, and backups to those systems, has become abundantly and painfully clear. "We swore we’d learn. We promised things would change but here we are," a ‘highly frustrated European diplomat’ was recently (anonymously) quoted by the BBC in March.  As a result, the continent is now in an incredibly precarious position that could leave the bloc highly…