MENA’s Power Surge, Mexico’s Solar Leap & California’s Canal Experiment
Electricity systems are evolving quickly, from record-breaking demand in hot, dry regions to inventive new ways of pairing solar with storage and infrastructure. This week’s updates show how countries are testing bold ideas — from Mexico’s solar-plus-battery potential to California’s solar-over-canals experiment — while renewable energy continues to dominate new capacity.
⚡ MENA’s Soaring Electricity Demand
Electricity use across the Middle East and North Africa has tripled since 2000, the third-fastest growth in the world after China and India. Demand is projected to rise another 50% by 2035, fuelled largely by surging air-conditioning and water-desalination needs.
🔋 Mexico’s Solar-Plus-Battery Potential
New analysis suggests Mexico could replace all U.S. gas imports for power generation with solar and batteries. With some of the highest levels of solar radiation on the planet, the country could meet 90% of its electricity demand with solar-plus-storage under favourable grid conditions, boosting both energy security and decarbonisation.
📊 Australia’s 98%+ Renewable Grid Simulations
Weekly simulations of Australia’s main electricity grid show it can run almost entirely on renewable power with sufficient storage. Last week the model reached 100% renewable electricity using rescaled data with 24 GW/120 GWh of storage — echoing similar results across more than 200 weeks of testing.
⚡ US New Capacity Almost All Renewable
In 2025 and 2026, renewable sources are expected to supply 92% of new U.S. electricity capacity additions, underscoring how far solar and wind have moved from niche options to the backbone of new generation.
☀️ California’s Solar-Over-Canals Test
Near Modesto, California, Project Nexus is mounting solar panels over irrigation canals to generate electricity while reducing evaporation and suppressing weeds. The $20 million state-funded experiment could produce 1.6 MW and improve panel efficiency by using the water below as natural cooling.