Rising Power Demand, Clean Market Economics & Battery Breakthroughs
From record-breaking power demand and billion-dollar data centres to ultra-fast batteries and Australia’s quietly rapid clean-energy build-out, this week’s stories all point to the same shift: electricity is becoming the backbone of the global economy. As EVs, AI, cooling demand, and clean power scale simultaneously, markets, grids, and investment flows are being reshaped in real time — not in theory, but on the ground.
⚡ The Age of Electricity Is Here
Global electricity demand is set to grow by more than 3.5% per year through 2030, marking a decisive shift toward an electrified economy. Rising industrial electrification, EV adoption, increased air-conditioning use, and the rapid expansion of data centres and AI workloads are driving sustained demand growth — far faster than historical averages. Power systems are no longer just supporting growth; they are the growth engine.
🌏 Australia’s Transition Is Already Happening
Australia isn’t debating an energy transition — it’s executing one. For nearly a decade, the country has added around one nuclear-equivalent of wind and solar every year, outpacing anything nuclear or coal could realistically deliver. Most of this clean capacity has replaced retiring coal while meeting new demand, backed increasingly by large-scale batteries. Grid-scale storage is now being built at near-nuclear scale too, reshaping overnight power supply and pushing wholesale electricity prices back to 2017 levels, despite renewables now supplying 43% of generation.
💰 Clean Energy Capital Is Flooding In
Private-market transition funds are rapidly reshaping global energy finance. Over the past decade, $2.7 trillion has been raised for energy investments, with clean-energy-focused funds attracting three times more capital than fossil and broad energy strategies combined since 2021. With $92 billion in dry powder, clean energy capital is no longer waiting on policy — it’s actively hunting projects at scale.
🔋 Ultra-Fast Charging, Without the Trade-Off
CATL’s new 5C battery challenges one of the biggest EV myths: that fast charging kills battery life. The company says the battery retains 80% capacity after 1.1 million miles, even under extreme fast-charging conditions. As Europe’s fast-charger network expands rapidly, this technology signals a future where speed, durability, and longevity coexist — making EVs even more practical for high-mileage and commercial use.
🏗️ Amazon’s $11B AI Power Play
Amazon’s new $11 billion AI data-center campus in Indiana highlights the staggering scale of digital infrastructure growth. With a projected 2.2 GW power draw, this single site rivals the electricity demand of entire cities — and it’s just one of many planned globally. As AI expands, data centres are becoming among the most energy-intensive assets on Earth, tightening the link between electricity supply, grid investment, and economic competitiveness.