GENEVA, 14th November, 2026 (WAM) -- As world leaders gather at COP31 to advance global climate action, the World Economic Forum today released Top 10 Emerging Technologies for Planetary Health: Energy Edition, highlighting innovations that could help transform the future of energy.
Produced in collaboration with Frontiers, the report examines 10 technologies that could make energy cleaner, more reliable and more secure by 2030. It comes amid volatile energy prices, concentrated supply chains and rising demand for electric vehicles, data centres and extreme heat, while storms, droughts and heatwaves place further strain on power grids. The urgency is underscored by the breach of seven of the nine planetary boundaries, according to the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
“Energy is not abstract. It determines if families can keep their homes cool during a heatwave, whether businesses can stay open and whether children grow up with clean air,” said Sebastian Buckup, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. “That means clean energy alone is not enough. A technology that is expensive and relies on limited resources will not scale, and one that doesn’t scale won’t change anything for the people who need it.”
The 10 technologies are:
1.Calcined-clay limestone cement (LC3).
2.Virtual power plants and grids.
3.Abundant materials batteries.
4.Thermal energy storage (heat batteries).
5.Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells.
6.Advanced subsea HVDC interconnectors.
7.Modular nuclear reactors.
8.Building-integrated photovoltaics.
9.Floating offshore wind.
10.Next-generation lithium batteries.
These technologies deliver the greatest impact when deployed together. For example, subsea cables are more valuable when batteries can store the electricity they carry, while heat batteries can absorb surplus power only when a smart grid can direct that power to them. Together, they could make energy systems more resilient by addressing three interconnected challenges: generating enough power, moving it where it is needed and storing it until demand rises.
“Many of the energy solutions we need already exist in labs. The challenge is getting them into homes, factories, and power grids fast enough to matter,” said Frederick Fenter, Chief Executive Editor of Frontiers. “Open science speeds this up by letting engineers, business leaders and governments build on shared research. This report puts trusted evidence in the hands of those deciding how to strengthen energy security while reducing harm to the climate.”