In every scenario in the IEA’s flagship World Energy Outlook 2025, solar power is projected to grow rapidly in the coming decades. But what is driving this growth? And what could slow it down or speed it up?

In this episode, Brent Wanner, Head of the IEA’s Power Supply Unit, and Anthony Vautrin, an energy modeller, unpack the new report’s key findings on solar. They discuss the trends that have underpinned solar’s rapid ascent, its potential to meet rising electricity demand around the world, and some of the key factors that are likely to affect its future growth.

The World Energy Outlook 2025 – the latest edition of the IEA’s flagship annual report, which explores a range of possible energy futures and their implications for energy security, access and emissions – is out now.

This episode walks through the key findings of the report with its lead authors: IEA Director of Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks Laura Cozzi and Chief Energy Economist Tim Gould. They discuss its biggest takeaways – including the growing energy security risks across an unprecedented range of fuels and technologies, how the energy mix could evolve in the coming decades, the arrival of the Age of Electricity, how the geographic centres of energy demand are shifting, and more. More details on the scenarios in the report can be found in this commentary.

As Ukraine enters another winter at war, its energy security is once again in jeopardy. While Ukraine made strong strides in rebuilding and strengthening the resilience of its energy system this past spring and summer, the situation remains fragile. The risk of major disruptions to electricity and heating in the coming months remains – particularly as Russia expands the scope and sophistication of its attacks on energy infrastructure.

This episode draws on insights from the most recent IEA visit to Kyiv in October. Talya Vatman, the IEA’s Caspian and Black Sea Programme Manager, shares what she heard from Ukrainians – including representatives from government and the energy sector – and highlights recent IEA analysis on how Ukraine and its partners can address the country’s urgent energy security and bolster longer-term energy resilience.

Southeast Asia is a dynamic region that is increasingly shaping global energy trends. As populations and economies grow, its energy demand is set to soar in the coming years, accounting for a quarter of global growth over the next decade. It also plays a critical role in the supply chains for energy technologies.

In this episode, we’re joined by Sue-Ern Tan, Head of the IEA’s Regional Cooperation Centre in Singapore. From the Agency’s first office outside its Paris headquarters, she unpacks these trends, examining the key opportunities and challenges ahead. She also outlines what countries in the region need to do to achieve the ambitious energy goals they have set.

Products made from petrochemicals are all around us – in our clothes, electronics, packaging, medical equipment, tires and so much more. But what are petrochemicals? And why are they so important for the future of global oil markets?

In this episode, we speak with IEA Oil Market Analysts David Martin and Ciarán Healy. They explain how petrochemicals are produced, why demand for them is rising quickly and what this could mean for the oil sector, from the impact on refineries to the potential implications for emissions.

When many people think about energy, electricity comes to mind. The bedrock of modern societies and economies, it powers everything from home appliances to factory machinery – keeping the lights on, trains running and much more – although a great deal more work is needed to ensure universal access to it worldwide.

Globally, electricity demand is rising quickly. So, in this episode, we speak with IEA Electricity Analyst Eren Çam. He explains which sources the world’s power comes from today and how that mix could evolve in the years ahead – as well as how countries can ramp up electricity supply securely and affordably.

Today, four in five families in African countries cook with fuels such as wood and charcoal over open fires or basic stoves. This leads to more than 800,000 premature deaths each year. But new IEA analysis shows that momentum is building to address this critical issue – opening a pathway to reach universal access to clean cooking in Africa by 2040.

In this episode, we hear from Syrine El Abed, IEA Africa Programme Manager, and Dan Wetzel, Head of the IEA’s Tracking Sustainable Transitions Unit. They explain what the lack of clean cooking supplies means in practice, what the latest data reveals, what more can be done to close the access gap, and why the energy sector is key to solving this challenge.

As incomes and temperatures rise around the world, demand for cooling is soaring. And while expanding access to air conditioning stands to improve quality of life for millions of people, it is also putting new strain on electricity systems during hot periods.

In this episode, we hear from Brian Motherway, who leads the IEA’s work on energy efficiency. He walks through the latest global data on air conditioning demand, the consequences for energy affordability and reliability, and what governments can do to help.

When you think of batteries, you might picture charging a phone or laptop. But it’s the energy industry that has transformed the battery market over the past decade. Today, over 90% of battery demand comes from the energy sector, driven by record-breaking electric car sales and the rapid growth of battery storage to support power grids around the world.

In this episode, we hear from Teo Lombardo, an IEA analyst specialising in batteries, and Araceli Fernandez Pales, the head of the IEA’s Technology Innovation Unit. They explain how batteries work and their role in modern energy systems, as well as why prices have fallen dramatically in recent years and what innovations could drive further growth.

Oil markets have faced significant turbulence this year. Heightened geopolitical risks, trade tensions and policy shifts have all affected the outlook. At the same time, the major drivers of supply and demand over the past 15 years are losing momentum, signalling that a deeper transformation of markets is underway.

In this episode, Toril Bosoni, Head of the IEA’s Oil Industry and Markets Division, unpacks the latest developments, speaking about the forces shaping oil markets today, how resilient they could be to tensions in the Middle East and elsewhere, and what the oil market might look like in the years ahead.