Energy Workforce Growth, Cheap Storage & Resource Rankings
Energy systems continue to shift at remarkable speed, from labour demand in clean power to the rapid scaling of storage, home batteries, and renewables. New data highlights falling costs for solar-plus-storage, the accelerating dominance of LFP batteries, the economic pressures facing gas networks, and fresh insights into global resource wealth.
⚡ Power Sector Now the Largest Employer in Global Energy
The shift toward electrification is reshaping energy labour markets. Since 2019, around 75% of all new energy jobs have come from the power sector — from solar and wind deployment to grid upgrades and battery manufacturing. But demand for workers is rising across the entire system, not just electricity: efficiency, clean fuels, and modernisation of legacy infrastructure are all expanding. The Age of Electricity is now just as much a workforce story as a technology one.
🔋 Solar + Storage Costs Fall Sharply Outside China and the U.S.
Battery improvements continue to transform solar power economics. Across most of the world (excluding China and the U.S.), it now costs only $33/MWh to turn daytime solar into dispatchable nighttime electricity. With cheaper batteries and longer lifetimes, stored solar is becoming a competitive round-the-clock resource — a major step toward grids that rely less on fossil-based evening power.
📉 Battery Pack Prices Hit Record Low — LFP Becomes the Clear Winner
Lithium-ion pack prices have fallen to $108/kWh, marking a new record low and accelerating global electrification. In Australia, rebates now enable households to install 40 kWh LFP home batteries for around $5,000 AUD, hitting roughly $125/kWh installed — a threshold that makes widespread storage inevitable. Vanadium flow, NMC, and other chemistries are being pushed to niche roles. Sodium-ion remains promising but is trailing LFP’s scale, cost curve, and manufacturing lead.
🏠 German Gas-Heated Homes Face Rising Grid Costs Without Reform
Germany’s remaining gas-heated households could see €4,000+ in extra annual costs by 2045 as gas networks shrink and fixed fees rise. With gas demand projected to fall by around 70% by 2050 across Europe, regulators face a challenge: declining throughput leaves fewer customers to cover infrastructure costs. Smart policy design — including phased grid restructuring and efficient wind-down plans — can prevent unfair cost burdens while supporting an orderly transition away from gas.
🌍 The World’s Top Resource Giants Ranked by Wealth Per Person
A new per-capita assessment of natural resource wealth reveals sharp contrasts between nations. Saudi Arabia leads by a wide margin at nearly $1 million per person, driven by vast oil and gas reserves. Canada and Australia follow with more than $700,000 per capita, thanks to their rich energy and mineral endowments combined with relatively small populations.