What to Watch and Where to Act over the Next 12 Months

Why It Matters

Accelerating grid, storage, and sustainable‑fuel initiatives now will determine which firms capture the next wave of clean‑energy markets, while coordinated international action safeguards supply chains and drives rapid decarbonization.

Key Takeaways

• Accelerate grid modernization, storage, and flexibility for renewable integration.
• Prioritize sustainable fuels and industrial decarbonization through early‑stage projects.
• Secure critical raw materials via circularity and diversified supply chains.
• Embed social innovation to gain public acceptance of the energy transition.
• International collaboration, like IEA forums, drives scalable clean‑tech deployment.

Summary

The panel addressed what policymakers, industry leaders, and investors should watch and act on over the next twelve months, centering on the climate emergency, geopolitical volatility, and the race for competitiveness. Speakers from Spain, the United Kingdom, Austria, and the COP30 presidency emphasized that climate and energy policy is no longer a cyclical agenda but a strategic imperative requiring rapid innovation.

Key priorities emerged: modernizing and digitizing electricity grids; expanding storage and demand‑response flexibility; scaling sustainable fuels for hard‑to‑decarbonize sectors; securing critical raw materials through circularity and diversified supply chains; and fostering social innovation to build public buy‑in. The speakers highlighted Spain’s leadership in wind, batteries, and hydrogen, the UK’s ambitious 2030 clean‑power target that has accelerated offshore‑wind permitting, and Austria’s commitment to host the 2027 IEA Energy Innovation Forum.

Notable remarks underscored the urgency: Sara Agassin‑Munoz urged “accelerate, accelerate, and accelerate,” while Ed Miliband pointed out that today’s solar capacity is twelve times the 2010 IEA forecast. Austria’s Elizabeth Zietner announced Vienna as the next IEA forum venue, reinforcing the message that multilateral collaboration is essential for scaling solutions.

The implications are clear for business: governments will tighten grid‑investment and storage incentives, supply‑chain resilience will become a procurement criterion, and public‑private partnerships will be the engine for deploying sustainable fuels and circular‑material technologies. Companies that align early with these policy signals can secure market share in the emerging low‑carbon economy.

Original Description

Learn more: https://www.iea.org/events/what-to-watch-and-where-to-act-over-the-next-12-months-2

A presentation of the takeaway messages from the parallel sessions will be given by the Vice Chair of the IEA Committee on Energy Research and Technology.

The event will close with a tour-de-table to hear views from attendees on what is moving faster than people expected, what is more challenging, and emerging opportunities for community to have the biggest impact in the near term.

High-level closing remarks will be given by an IEA Minister or representative.