#energy-transition

#energy-transition

The energy transition is seemingly under assault, with Congressional Republicans killing tax credits for clean energy and the Trump administration threatening to cancel billions of dollars worth of grants. But there are signs the setback might not be as catastrophic for the transition as the headlines make it sound. Investor sentiment, which judging by the size of two new funds, remains strong.

In particular, they seek "transition minerals," which are vital to the shift away from fossil fuels. These include lithium, cobalt, copper, and nickel (often called critical minerals, essential for rechargeable batteries), as well as rare-earth minerals such as yttrium, scandium, and lanthanides (integral components of green infrastructure). Freedom from dirty energy, it would appear, requires doubling down on the decidedly nonrenewable practice of mineral extraction.

Artificial intelligence data centres are set to devour a massive share of the world's electricity growth over the next decade, according to BP's latest World Energy Outlook. The oil giant estimates that data facilities powering AI applications will account for 10% of global electricity demand growth by 2035. In the United States, the world's most advanced AI hub, that figure could skyrocket to 40%, raising urgent questions about the strain on energy systems.

across three continents to explore the landscapes, social movements, public policies, geopolitical conflicts, and corporate strategies that are shaping the extractive frontiers of the energy transition. With a focus on lithium, she draws, in particular, on over a decade of rigorous research on Latin America's mining and oil sectors. In doing so, she situates the energy transition from fossil fuels to electrification in the context of the long history of colonization, decolonization, the 1970s energy crisis, the 2008 financial crisis, and escalating US-China tensions.

In 2022, the Australian mining and energy company Fortescue signed a deal with E.On, a German energy network and infrastructure operator, to supply up to five million tons of low-emission green hydrogen to Europe annually. "The race for large-scale production and transportation of green hydrogen has taken off," said Robert Habeck, then German minister for economic affairs and climate action, of the deal. Adding that it would be the start of a "future without fossil fuels."

When a fossil fuel is combusted, it releases energy, which boils water, which turns to steam, which drives a turbine, which generates electricity. This is an almost comically inefficient process, requiring immense amounts of material: more than 8bn tons of coal and 4tn cubic metres of fossil gas every year. And given the basic chemistry of combustion, it's unavoidable that burning all this stuff leads to an immense buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Academic work on the question of anti-wind farm activism is revealing a pattern: Conspiracy thinking is a stronger predictor of opposition than age, gender, education, or political leaning. In Germany, the academic Kevin Winter and colleagues found that belief in conspiracies had many times more influence on wind opposition than any demographic factor. Worryingly, presenting opponents with facts was not particularly successful.

The ASA found that the two ads, which appeared online, omitted key information about the eligibility criteria for government funding available for installing the pumps.

Minacu, a small city in inland Brazil, is set to become the first operation outside Asia to produce four rare earths on a commercial scale. This marks a pivotal development amid escalating trade disputes between China and the US, particularly since China has historically dominated the production of these essential minerals.

SkyNRG secure€250M from APG to advance its Sustainable Aviation Fuel production, aiming to significantly contribute to energy transition and carbon reduction in aviation.

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