Show Notes
Today, nearly two out of every five people in Africa still live without access to electricity. That means no lighting at home or in schools, no power to grow businesses, and no reliable energy for healthcare or essential services.
New IEA analysis outlines a pathway to universal access to electricity by 2035. But what will it take to get there? In this episode, Emma Gordon and Adam Ward – energy investment analysts and lead authors of a recent IEA report on this topic – explain what is needed, including the financial tools that could unlock essential investment.
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Since the start of the Iran war in February, energy exports from Middle East countries through the Strait of Hormuz and via other routes have become the focus of intense global attention, with significant implications for the world economy and especially for Middle East countries themselves.
Since the mid-20th century, scientists and engineers around the world have been working to harness the potential of fusion energy. Driven by the knowledge that success could revolutionise the energy system, they have pursued fusion’s tantalising potential to provide abundant around-the-clock electricity with minimal fuel inputs, no direct emissions and very little radioactive waste.
Around the world, the price of diesel is at or near all-time highs, with major implications for shipping, agriculture and the broader economy. In this episode, we speak with IEA experts David Martin and Talya Vatman who explain why diesel prices have risen more sharply than those of gasoline and crude oil – taking stock of the impacts from the war in the Middle East, Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, and limited capacity across the refining sector globally. They also discuss how the situation could evolve in the coming months.
Invented at the turn of the 20th century to control humidity at a New York printing plant, the air conditioner has reshaped the economies and societies that have had access to it. Today, more than 1.5 billion AC units are in use around the world – and as incomes and temperatures rise, demand continues to grow rapidly.
Technological advances in drilling have had a profound impact on our economies and societies, delivering access to vast energy resources underground. The first commercial oil well in 1859 paved the way for the modern oil industry, and more recent breakthroughs have repeatedly reshaped global energy dynamics.