Global Scans · Energy Tech · Weekly Summary

• [New] North America is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period, driven by rising electricity costs, grid reliability challenges, and strong policy support for energy storage solutions. Precedence Research
• [New] Western Australia's positioning in vanadium battery manufacturing creates opportunities for technology leadership in energy storage applications. Discovery Alert
• [New] The major industry themes impacting the power sector in 2026 will be electric vehicles, energy storage, energy transition, hydrogen, nuclear, renewable energy, smart grid, carbon emissions, and distributed generation. GlobeNewswire
• [New] Sessions will explore how machine learning can optimize smart grids and energy storage systems, a growing need as data center electricity demand is expected to increase dramatically by 2026. Inspenet
• [New] SpaceX's Starship rockets could transport Tesla's Optimus robots to Mars, while Tesla's energy-storage systems might power SpaceX's orbital data centers. Ainvest
• [New] An estimated 72% of employers in the energy efficiency sector report worker shortages, with 60% expecting moderate to large impacts on project delivery over the next 5-10 years. Sustainability Atlas
• [New] Five Key Changes to Watch in Energy Storage in 2026, global energy storage battery shipments are projected to reach 825 GWh in 2026, representing approximately 39% year-on-year growth based on shipment volumes. SmartPropel Bess
• [New] The 31% projected growth in global energy storage installations from 273 GWh in 2025 to 359 GWh in 2026 represents acceleration rather than linear expansion. Discovery Alert
• [New] Energy storage demand is projected to experience 55% growth in 2026, following a 71% expansion in 2025, fundamentally altering lithium consumption patterns. Discovery Alert
• Looking ahead, high commodity prices, recovering logistics networks, and ongoing investment in renewable energy are expected to lift real GDP growth to around 1.9-2.0 per cent in 2026. South Africa
• Data centers, power generation, manufacturing, cold chain warehousing, distribution facilities, and health care spending (primarily ambulatory facilities and large hospital system expansions) will likely capture high single-digit and double-digit growth rates in 2026. Default
• Europe's strategic autonomy efforts risk falling short without closer alignment with Turkey, which they say already plays a central role in manufacturing, logistics and energy transit. Daily Sabah
• Central Asian energy resources and critical minerals align with Pakistan's chronic energy needs, while improved connectivity could expand textile, pharmaceutical, and agricultural exports and support a planned $100 billion blue economy built on upgraded ports and logistics. The Asia Cable
• The 20-billion-plus capital-expenditure budget for 2026 will be used to expand AI training capacity, build and scale robotaxi-focused assembly, develop Optimus humanoid robots, and grow energy-storage production such as Megapack. TESMAG
• Tesla says it will invest at least 20 billion dollars in 2026 on a mix of AI, robotics, energy storage, and the manufacturing infrastructure required to support them. TESMAG
• The drive towards energy storage demand is rooted at the center of US foreign policy, driven by critical minerals, which could potentially reshape the lithium value chain. VBKOM
• The AI Growth Zone Delivery Unit will broker power, planning and offtake across the first wave of Zones to support build out of the AI data center capacity the UK needs. GOV.UK
• As solar technologies become more efficient and affordable and integration with energy storage and smart grids improves, solar power energy will play an even greater role in shaping sustainable, reliable, and future-ready energy systems worldwide. Soleos Solar Energy Private Limited
• Weather-related energy supply disruptions reveal fundamental vulnerabilities in global energy distribution networks. Discovery Alert

Last updated: 08 February 2026