Global Scans · Affordable and Clean Energy · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

• [New] The UK's depleted offshore fields could theoretically store over 3,500 TWh of energy, enough to cover projected electricity demand for around seven years. Electricity Info
• [New] Britain's electricity network will require up to £240bn of upgrades to support clean power targets, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has admitted. Electricity Info
• [New] The approximately 500 TWh of energy and 560 billion liters of water consumed by data centers in 2025 is expected to double by 2030. Travers Smith
• [New] China is working toward a major nuclear fusion milestone that will put it leagues ahead in the global race to unlock the 'holy grail' of clean energy. Electricity Info
• [New] Changes in government policy in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere and long-term growth in India, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America will drive the demand expansion, OPEC said, despite impressive progress by China in its shift to renewable energy. MarineLink
• [New] Renewable-energy-based hydrogen deployment is not expected to scale up until roughly 2035, and hydrogen-related energy infrastructure is expected to have multi-decade lifespans. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] For the energy sector, the target for 2030 is 108 million tons of CO2e compared to 247 million tons of CO2e in 2021 and 466 million tons of CO2e in 1990 (Bundesregierung Deutschland 2022). PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] For homes, EU countries will have to put in place measures ensuring that the average energy use of the residential building stock is reduced by 16% in 2030 in comparison to 2020, with higher targets for the following decades. Energy
• [New] For non-residential buildings, such as offices, schools or hospitals, minimum energy performance standards will trigger the renovation of the 16% worst-performing buildings by 2030 and of the 26% worst-performing buildings by 2033. Energy
• [New] At the Bonn Climate Change Conference, the COP 31 Presidency of Turkey set an ambitious direction: achieving 35% global electrification and reducing building energy intensity by at least 25% by 2035. UNEP - UN Environment Programme
• [New] Beijing has doubled its EV charging capacity target to 180 gigawatts by 2027 and made energy storage attachment mandatory for new renewable installations - creating a policy-guaranteed demand floor that operates independently of consumer EV adoption rates. A Whisky with Charles
• [New] Renewables will become the largest global energy source, used for almost 45% of electricity generation by 2030. Insurance Journal
• [New] The number of vessels using alternative energy solutions, including battery and hybrid systems, is expected to nearly double between 2024 and 2028 based on the current orderbook. MarineLink
• [New] The demand for minerals to power the transition to clean energy is estimated to increase sixfold by 2040 to meet net-zero goals for 2050. AZoMining
• [New] Despite incentives being gutted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Solar Energy Industries Association expects annual installations to exceed 110 GWh per year by 2030, about double what they are today. TechCrunch
• [New] At the Pacific Offshore Wind Summit last week in Long Beach, state leaders reaffirmed California's goal of generating up to 25 GW of offshore wind energy by 2045. JD Supra
• [New] The Andhra Pradesh-based facility will process end-of-life batteries from electric vehicles, electronics, and energy storage systems. Yourstory
• [New] CFS, which is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and other firms including Helion Energy in Everett, Washington, and TAE Technologies in Foothill Ranch, California, say that they will deliver commercial fusion plants by the early 2030s. Electricity Info
• [New] In cooperation with the EIB Group, the Commission will step up support to private investments in the next generation of clean energy technologies including, among others, long-duration energy storage, floating wind, floating solar, ocean energy (wave and tidal), and airborne wind energy. Energy
• [New] In the area of nuclear energy, the Commission and the EIB will address financing challenges associated with small modular reactors (SMRs) due to higher technology and deployment risks, in line with the SMR strategy. Energy

Last updated: 21 June 2026