Key Opinion Leaders: Decoding the Energy Transition

Case for tracking: In Q4, data centres became a material energy-system issue as electricity demand driven by AI workloads began placing visible strain on power grids and utilities. A significant share of discussions links rapid data-centre expansion with rising power demand, grid reliability concerns, and increasing pressure on electricity markets,...

Case for tracking: In Q4 2025, LNG emerged as a key issue to track as the narrative shifted from short-term crisis management to long-term strategic uncertainty. Reporting during the quarter showed that Europe’s gas strategy will not change even if a Ukraine peace deal is reached, reinforcing LNG as a...

Case for tracking: In Q4, the United States energy policy landscape shifted toward a stronger emphasis on energy security and grid reliability, creating near-term tension with clean-energy ambitions. Federal actions included emergency interventions to keep coal-fired power plants operating beyond planned closure dates to stabilise the grid, alongside a broader...

Case for tracking: In Q4 2025, geothermal remained relevant as attention shifted from niche baseload power toward scaling and system-level importance. Compared with Q3, momentum was driven by major investment and permitting reform debates. The key story is Fervo Energy raising $462 million with backing from Google, signalling rising confidence...

Case for tracking: Energy storage remains a key issue to track in Q4 2025, becoming more central to power systems than in Q3, when focus was still divided between EVs and renewables. This quarter reflects a strong shift toward grid-scale battery storage, led by record battery exports from China, reinforcing...

Case for tracking: In Q4 2025, energy transition minerals became a more immediate strategic issue than in Q3, driven by rising concerns over supply security and geopolitical dependence. The core story this quarter is the expansion of government-backed funding, mineral deals, and development-finance platforms as the U.S. and its partners...

Case for tracking: In Q4 2025, hydrogen remained relevant but increasingly uneven across regions. The main story is India’s renewed push on green hydrogen, backed by large funding commitments and policy signals aimed at industrial decarbonisation and energy security. In contrast, momentum in the United States weakened as federal support...

Case for tracking: In Q4 2025, AI’s interaction with the energy sector intensified globally, driven by both rapid growth in AI-related power demand and increasing adoption of AI tools for energy management. In the United States, partnerships between tech companies and grid operators deployed AI for forecasting, planning, and operational...

Case for tracking: Solar is a key Q4 2025 issue as the narrative shifts from strong build-out momentum in Q3 to political, permitting, and execution risks that could slow delivery despite high demand. U.S. reporting highlights solar and solar-plus-storage projects being delayed or frozen by permitting decisions and a renewed...

Case for tracking: In Q4 2025, nuclear energy gained significant policy traction and strategic momentum globally as countries and regions looked to strengthen energy security and meet growing demand while advancing decarbonisation goals. In the United States, utilities like Duke Energy filed early site permits with the NRC for new...

Case for tracking: Earlier, geothermal was gaining credibility through U.S. funding and EGS pilots, though progress was slowed by long permitting cycles and uncertain early economics. Lithium co-production from geothermal brines was also emerging as a potential revenue stream at pilot scale. By Q3 2025, momentum has accelerated: Germany moved...

Case for tracking: Momentum around energy storage surged in Q3 2025 as governments and utilities shifted from planning to large-scale deployment. The U.S., U.K., and Germany led record investment in battery energy storage systems (BESS) to meet rising power demand from renewables, EVs, and data centres. Focus is shifting toward...

Case for tracking: Grid stability has become a critical pressure point in the 3rd Quarter as renewable power grows faster than the systems built to carry and balance it. In the U.S., policy reversals and cancelled transmission projects like the Grain Belt Express highlight how vulnerable inter-state power planning remains,...

Case for tracking: In Q3 2025, renewable energy growth ran into major infrastructure challenges. Solar and wind projects are being built faster than grids can handle them, slowing progress in several regions. In the U.S., new tariffs on solar imports and the cancellation of key transmission lines delayed projects, while...

Case for tracking: In Q3 2025, the North Sea was back in focus, with new discoveries but also mounting pressures. Equinor found more oil and gas near the Troll field, while Shell restarted Penguins using a new FPSO that extends field life and lowers emissions. At the same time, new...

Case for tracking: Q3 has seen renewed urgency from the U.S. federal government to accelerate permitting and regulatory reform, especially where AI/data centre infrastructure and power grid expansion are involved. Key moves include the Trump administration negotiating formal agreements with Western states to fast-track environmental permitting for large projects in...

Case for tracking: In Q3 2025, AI’s rapid growth proved tightly linked to the energy system. On the clean energy side, companies launched new tools like Aetheriqube’s carbon tracking platforms and Nanogeios’ IRIS-X system for low-cost hydrogen detection showing how AI is helping drive low-carbon innovation. Startups across Europe and...

Case for tracking: Nuclear gained sharper visibility as policy and culture converged in Q3 2025. In the U.S., Trump’s orders to fast-track reactor restarts and SMR approvals boosted projects like Palisades. But nuclear policy in the U.S. is not just about projects (like Palisades or SMRs) but also about regulatory...

Case for tracking: In Q3 2025, solar showed resilience by pivoting toward storage, faster interconnection, and local manufacturing while still expanding despite tariff and incentive uncertainty. At RE+, industry leaders described solar as a mature, resilient sector now putting batteries at the centre of project design, with state and local...

Case for tracking: In Q3 2025, carbon capture and storage (CCUS) took another step forward, but the picture was mixed. Japan approved its first offshore capture wells, and Norway began injecting CO₂, supported by new safety work from DNV and progress on Yara’s North Sea hub. On the finance side,...

Case for tracking: U.S. policies have always favoured fracking; in fact, shale gas extracted using fracking played a crucial role in the US becoming the largest producer of natural gas in the world. With the U.S. set to follow a very pro-fracking “America-first” approach to natural gas and oil production...