@thomasaspencer.bsky.social
A major uncertainty facing this year's WEO is the outlook for trade in low-emissions energy technologies.
We highlight growing exports, particularly from China, coexisting alongside heightened trade tensions, excess capacity, and falling profit margins for producers.
We highlight growing exports, particularly from China, coexisting alongside heightened trade tensions, excess capacity, and falling profit margins for producers.
November 13, 2025 at 12:22 PM
A major uncertainty facing this year's WEO is the outlook for trade in low-emissions energy technologies.
We highlight growing exports, particularly from China, coexisting alongside heightened trade tensions, excess capacity, and falling profit margins for producers.
We highlight growing exports, particularly from China, coexisting alongside heightened trade tensions, excess capacity, and falling profit margins for producers.
‘Phantom’ data centres muddy forecasts for US power needs - on.ft.com/43tkLuz via @FT
"The utility, which serves more than 10mn people, recently declared that out of its 65-gigawatt 2040 pipeline, it is confident that only 22 per cent is likely to materialise."
"The utility, which serves more than 10mn people, recently declared that out of its 65-gigawatt 2040 pipeline, it is confident that only 22 per cent is likely to materialise."
‘Phantom’ data centres muddy forecasts for US power needs
Developers are overstating energy needs and keeping projects alive even after they are no longer viable
on.ft.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
‘Phantom’ data centres muddy forecasts for US power needs - on.ft.com/43tkLuz via @FT
"The utility, which serves more than 10mn people, recently declared that out of its 65-gigawatt 2040 pipeline, it is confident that only 22 per cent is likely to materialise."
"The utility, which serves more than 10mn people, recently declared that out of its 65-gigawatt 2040 pipeline, it is confident that only 22 per cent is likely to materialise."
Today, we put out our World Energy Outlook. I am going to do a post a day for as long I still have interesting graphs to share (will be a while).
First up: IEA scenarios are not outliers compared to those of energy majors. There are many that see a peak for oil in the next decade or so.
First up: IEA scenarios are not outliers compared to those of energy majors. There are many that see a peak for oil in the next decade or so.
November 12, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Today, we put out our World Energy Outlook. I am going to do a post a day for as long I still have interesting graphs to share (will be a while).
First up: IEA scenarios are not outliers compared to those of energy majors. There are many that see a peak for oil in the next decade or so.
First up: IEA scenarios are not outliers compared to those of energy majors. There are many that see a peak for oil in the next decade or so.
Finally a genuinely good Indian restaurant in Paris. Don't ruin it now, French people!
November 4, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Finally a genuinely good Indian restaurant in Paris. Don't ruin it now, French people!
We should be careful with investment numbers for data centres. By far the majority of capital investment in data centres is in the chips and servers. If you don't manufacture them domestically, the cost of importing them is subtracted from GDP.
Portugal is investing the equivalent of almost 5% of GDP near Europe’s longest beach in an effort to retool its economy for the 21st century.
Portugal Has Plenty of Tourists. Now It Wants Data Centers
Investment around the town of Sines totals almost 5% of GDP as the country seeks to retool its economy for the 21st century.
bloom.bg
November 4, 2025 at 8:51 AM
We should be careful with investment numbers for data centres. By far the majority of capital investment in data centres is in the chips and servers. If you don't manufacture them domestically, the cost of importing them is subtracted from GDP.
China offers tech giants cheap power to boost domestic AI chips - on.ft.com/3JAwFvZ via @FT
China offers tech giants cheap power to boost domestic AI chips
Beijing introduces grants that slash energy bills by up to half for some of country’s largest data centres
on.ft.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:42 AM
China offers tech giants cheap power to boost domestic AI chips - on.ft.com/3JAwFvZ via @FT
AI sync, therefore AI am
I hope noone has done this yet. I want to have a Locke on this joke.
November 3, 2025 at 6:48 PM
AI sync, therefore AI am
Reposted
I hope noone has done this yet. I want to have a Locke on this joke.
November 3, 2025 at 3:49 PM
I hope noone has done this yet. I want to have a Locke on this joke.
Reposted
India's rainfall in October was about 50% higher than normal for the month. It continues to be a wet year. May was the wettest May since records began in 1901.
robbieandrew.github.io/india/index....
robbieandrew.github.io/india/index....
November 1, 2025 at 9:12 AM
India's rainfall in October was about 50% higher than normal for the month. It continues to be a wet year. May was the wettest May since records began in 1901.
robbieandrew.github.io/india/index....
robbieandrew.github.io/india/index....
Batteries are crucial technology for the 21st century - www.ft.com/content/874f... via @FT
Batteries are crucial technology for the 21st century
Their role powering the growth of key industries means we cannot ignore economic security risks
www.ft.com
October 31, 2025 at 6:18 AM
Batteries are crucial technology for the 21st century - www.ft.com/content/874f... via @FT
Reposted
German non-renewable power generation during the past 75 years.
(nuclear / lignite / coal / gas)
Last year Germany produced just 160 TWh of electricity from fossil sources. The last time the number was that low was 1961.
(nuclear / lignite / coal / gas)
Last year Germany produced just 160 TWh of electricity from fossil sources. The last time the number was that low was 1961.
October 23, 2025 at 12:21 PM
German non-renewable power generation during the past 75 years.
(nuclear / lignite / coal / gas)
Last year Germany produced just 160 TWh of electricity from fossil sources. The last time the number was that low was 1961.
(nuclear / lignite / coal / gas)
Last year Germany produced just 160 TWh of electricity from fossil sources. The last time the number was that low was 1961.
Reposted
Big China electricity&industial data update🧵for September:
➡️Power generation from coal and gas dropped 5%, for a 1.2% fall in the first nine months of the year.
➡️Crude steel production fell by 5% and cement output by 9% in Sep, accelerating from 3% and 5% drops year-to-date.
➡️Power generation from coal and gas dropped 5%, for a 1.2% fall in the first nine months of the year.
➡️Crude steel production fell by 5% and cement output by 9% in Sep, accelerating from 3% and 5% drops year-to-date.
October 20, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Big China electricity&industial data update🧵for September:
➡️Power generation from coal and gas dropped 5%, for a 1.2% fall in the first nine months of the year.
➡️Crude steel production fell by 5% and cement output by 9% in Sep, accelerating from 3% and 5% drops year-to-date.
➡️Power generation from coal and gas dropped 5%, for a 1.2% fall in the first nine months of the year.
➡️Crude steel production fell by 5% and cement output by 9% in Sep, accelerating from 3% and 5% drops year-to-date.
"One astonishing characteristic is the amount of surface area locked away in these new materials: a MOF weighing one gramme can have an internal surface area the size of a football pitch."
Amazing stat.
Can molecular Lego save the planet? - on.ft.com/4ok6Oak via @FT
Amazing stat.
Can molecular Lego save the planet? - on.ft.com/4ok6Oak via @FT
Can molecular Lego save the planet?
The Nobel Prize-winning MOFs could be used to mop up pollutants, turn toxic substances benign and make water from desert air
on.ft.com
October 15, 2025 at 5:43 AM
"One astonishing characteristic is the amount of surface area locked away in these new materials: a MOF weighing one gramme can have an internal surface area the size of a football pitch."
Amazing stat.
Can molecular Lego save the planet? - on.ft.com/4ok6Oak via @FT
Amazing stat.
Can molecular Lego save the planet? - on.ft.com/4ok6Oak via @FT
"Each 1GW of AI computing capacity costs about $50bn to deploy".
That's about 4-5 times more than a nuclear power plants per GW.
OpenAI’s computing deals top $1tn - on.ft.com/47j3s0z via @FT
That's about 4-5 times more than a nuclear power plants per GW.
OpenAI’s computing deals top $1tn - on.ft.com/47j3s0z via @FT
OpenAI’s computing deals top $1tn
Partners including Nvidia, AMD and Oracle have signed up to Sam Altman’s huge bet on the future of artificial intelligence
on.ft.com
October 7, 2025 at 5:48 AM
"Each 1GW of AI computing capacity costs about $50bn to deploy".
That's about 4-5 times more than a nuclear power plants per GW.
OpenAI’s computing deals top $1tn - on.ft.com/47j3s0z via @FT
That's about 4-5 times more than a nuclear power plants per GW.
OpenAI’s computing deals top $1tn - on.ft.com/47j3s0z via @FT
US green energy forecast cut by half under Trump despite global surge in solar and wind - on.ft.com/42sb6nw via @FT
US green energy forecast cut by half under Trump despite global surge in solar and wind
Renewable power held back in world’s biggest economy while growing in India, the Middle East and Africa
on.ft.com
October 7, 2025 at 5:21 AM
US green energy forecast cut by half under Trump despite global surge in solar and wind - on.ft.com/42sb6nw via @FT
Honestly British Airways, you suck. I am now 24 hours into a journey that should have taken 12.
October 2, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Honestly British Airways, you suck. I am now 24 hours into a journey that should have taken 12.
A back-of-the-envelope tally suggests OpenAI has reached broad agreements that will cover capital spending of about $1tn
... That is a lot of money
OpenAI is upping the ante massively - on.ft.com/46Uzjp8 via @FT
... That is a lot of money
OpenAI is upping the ante massively - on.ft.com/46Uzjp8 via @FT
OpenAI is upping the ante massively
Calculated display of self-confidence intended to signal it is still leading charge to superintelligence
on.ft.com
September 27, 2025 at 11:05 AM
A back-of-the-envelope tally suggests OpenAI has reached broad agreements that will cover capital spending of about $1tn
... That is a lot of money
OpenAI is upping the ante massively - on.ft.com/46Uzjp8 via @FT
... That is a lot of money
OpenAI is upping the ante massively - on.ft.com/46Uzjp8 via @FT
The AI revolution is coming for robotics. True transformation will take time, but a chatgpt moment is not far away
Google DeepMind unveils new robotics AI model that can sort laundry - on.ft.com/481zfVB via @FT
Google DeepMind unveils new robotics AI model that can sort laundry - on.ft.com/481zfVB via @FT
Google DeepMind unveils new robotics AI model that can sort laundry
New technology advances reasoning capabilities in general-purpose machines in push to make them more useful
on.ft.com
September 26, 2025 at 6:21 AM
The AI revolution is coming for robotics. True transformation will take time, but a chatgpt moment is not far away
Google DeepMind unveils new robotics AI model that can sort laundry - on.ft.com/481zfVB via @FT
Google DeepMind unveils new robotics AI model that can sort laundry - on.ft.com/481zfVB via @FT
Coal use in China has dropped for the first half of the year.
September 25, 2025 at 5:56 AM
Coal use in China has dropped for the first half of the year.
Diesel trucks accounted for around 51 per cent of sales in China... electric trucks’ penetration rate has soared to around 24 per cent, from as low as 4 per cent two years earlier
Sany’s electric trucks drive latest Chinese assault on global auto market - on.ft.com/3VxAaG0 via @FT
Sany’s electric trucks drive latest Chinese assault on global auto market - on.ft.com/3VxAaG0 via @FT
Sany’s electric trucks drive latest Chinese assault on global auto market
The Caterpillar and Komatsu rival is investing heavily in battery swapping and driverless technology
on.ft.com
September 24, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Diesel trucks accounted for around 51 per cent of sales in China... electric trucks’ penetration rate has soared to around 24 per cent, from as low as 4 per cent two years earlier
Sany’s electric trucks drive latest Chinese assault on global auto market - on.ft.com/3VxAaG0 via @FT
Sany’s electric trucks drive latest Chinese assault on global auto market - on.ft.com/3VxAaG0 via @FT
Reposted
California solar curtailment down 12% on back of batteries #energysky -- via pv magazine usa: pv-magazine-usa.com/...
July 22, 2025 at 5:11 PM
California solar curtailment down 12% on back of batteries #energysky -- via pv magazine usa: pv-magazine-usa.com/...
Reposted
Geospatial mapping reveals the scale of the clean cooking challenge
Millions live in areas with little or no access & limited infrastructure, from LPG storage & distribution to power reliability
Investing in these gaps is key to scaling up solutions 👉 iea.li/3ISaFM8
Millions live in areas with little or no access & limited infrastructure, from LPG storage & distribution to power reliability
Investing in these gaps is key to scaling up solutions 👉 iea.li/3ISaFM8
July 20, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Geospatial mapping reveals the scale of the clean cooking challenge
Millions live in areas with little or no access & limited infrastructure, from LPG storage & distribution to power reliability
Investing in these gaps is key to scaling up solutions 👉 iea.li/3ISaFM8
Millions live in areas with little or no access & limited infrastructure, from LPG storage & distribution to power reliability
Investing in these gaps is key to scaling up solutions 👉 iea.li/3ISaFM8
Reposted
Netherlands and Hungary hit 40% solar of total electricity generation during June...
July 10, 2025 at 8:10 AM
Netherlands and Hungary hit 40% solar of total electricity generation during June...
Reposted
This was a fun conversation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgzT...
Can we increase sustainable energy with AI? | The Prompt with Trevor Noah
YouTube video by Microsoft
www.youtube.com
June 23, 2025 at 9:44 PM
This was a fun conversation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgzT...
We also need a segmentation between reasoning and non reasoning models.
Finally some numbers about ChatGPT's energy and water use? ⚡
Even if this is the true amount of energy used for a query (and that's a big if!), multiplied by the billions of queries a day, this adds up massively.
And that's not counting image generation, which is much more energy-intensive!
Even if this is the true amount of energy used for a query (and that's a big if!), multiplied by the billions of queries a day, this adds up massively.
And that's not counting image generation, which is much more energy-intensive!
June 11, 2025 at 12:44 PM
We also need a segmentation between reasoning and non reasoning models.