McKinsey & Company's Global Energy Perspective 2026 finds AI, geopolitics and grid constraints are widening the range of possible energy futures to 2050
Even those with only a cursory understanding of the energy sector will know that 2026 has been a momentous year.
The geopolitical quagmire in the Middle East has shaken the global hydrocarbon market to its core, while the rise of AI and data centres has put more pressure on electricity grids and power supplies than ever before.
That is to say nothing of the climate crisis. The pressure to decarbonise has never been so great, given the extreme heat, wildfires and droughts much of the northern hemisphere experienced this summer.
Each year, McKinsey's Global Energy Perspective acts as a pulse check for the industry. The 2026 edition, published this week, dives into how each of these externalities are affecting the sector. This week, we looked into the firm's findings. To read our full breakdown, click here.
In this interview with Energy Digital, Laura Fleming shares how Hitachi Energy is working towards the energy transition with smart grid technologies
Laura Fleming has spent more than two decades in the energy sector, and today she leads Hitachi Energy's business across the UK and Ireland.
As Country Managing Director at Hitachi Energy and Chair of RenewableUK, she sees the grid as the central challenge of the energy transition.
In this interview with Energy Digital, Laura explains why delivery now matters more than ambition, how HVDC and grid automation can ease congestion, and why collaboration with government is essential.
She also discusses the new UK Engineering Centre of Excellence in Glasgow, which will create more than 100 skilled roles, and why she remains optimistic.
To read the Q&A in full, click here.
The Governor of California has signed a new Senate Bill allowing the sale of 'plug-and-play' PV panels, with groups like Bright Saver hailing the move
The era of plug-in solar panels is well and truly underway.
Micro PV systems have become a common features on balconies and in gardens across Europe in recent years but, with the UK and US now cottoning onto the technology, it feels as though serious momentum is building.
On 30 September, Gavin Newsom made California the tenth US state to allow the sale of the systems when he signed what is known as the 'Plug and Play Solar Act', or SB 868.
Californians will have to wait until next year before they can purchase the products, but demand is expected to be high, especially given the rising energy prices in the state of late.
State Senator Scott Wiener, who authored the bill, said in a statement: "Electricity costs have reached ridiculous levels here in California, and now that the Plug and Play Solar Act is law, Californians have a much-needed tool to provide relief."
"These small, easy-to-use solar panels will give everyone, including renters, the relief they desperately need on our outrageous energy bills."
Cowboy Space, founded by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt, is planning to test laser power beaming from orbit, which would be a world first
Solar, satellites and lasers. Sounds like the premise for a Star Wars film, right?
Far from being an out-of-this-world daydream, this is the business model of stargazing tech firm Cowboy Space.
Since its founding two years ago, the Californian company has been working to commercialise space-based solar arrays capable of beaming energy back to Earth.
Now, after months of hard work, the company has announced it has starting laying plans for its first prototype, Reason-1.
The plan is for the satellite to collect solar energy in space and then send it to a ground receiver using a high-powered laser – something Cowboy Space says has never been done before.
The firm, formerly known as Aetherflux, says it designed, built and tested the satellite's laser systems, large-aperture optical telescope and beam-steering architecture in-house.
Baiju Bhatt, the Founder and CEO of Cowboy Space, previously founded the fintech giant Robinhood.
He says that Reason-1 is just the launch as the start of a much larger project.
“Every era of infrastructure, from the railroads to the power grid, has been built by those willing to push into new territory,” he says. “The next one begins in orbit.” 
“Reason-1 is our first stake in that future, and the first step toward powering humanity from the high frontier.”
Shell is doubling LNG Canada’s capacity as global demand grows, expanding access to flexible & reliable energy supplies, with insight from Cederic Cremers
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a natural gas cooled to approximately -162°C in order to reduce its volume and convert it to liquid.
Shell Canada Energy, an affiliate of Shell plc, is announcing its decision to double the production capacity of LNG in Kitimat, British Columbia.
The company states that LNG is a versatile and reliable lower-carbon alternative, when compared to coal in power generation and diesel in the heavy-duty transport and shipping sector. 
According to the Energy Institute, natural gas supplied approximately 25% of the world’s energy consumption in 2024, emphasising how reliable LNG can be.
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