Energy security could be built from sand, clay, and rust – World Economic Forum and Frontiers unveil 10 emerging technologies for planetary health

The World Economic Forum and Frontiers today co-published the Top 10 Emerging Technologies for Planetary Health: Energy Edition report. Building on last year’s inaugural report, the energy edition spotlights ten technologies with the greatest potential to reduce pressure on the planet and make power supply more reliable. Each technology has a credible path to real-world use by 2030. The report gives policymakers and business leaders an early view of how energy systems are likely to transform.

Global electricity demand is forecast to increase by almost a fifth between 2025 and 2030, according to the International Energy Agency's Electricity 2026 report. At the same time, fuel prices are volatile, and key minerals are concentrated in a few countries, making energy security a question of who controls the supply chain. Several technologies in the report use materials that can be sourced in many countries. Heat batteries store energy in sand and brick. Iron-air batteries release electricity as iron rusts and store it by reversing the reaction.

The ten technologies shaping the future of energy are:

1. Calcined-clay limestone cement (LC3) – replacing nearly half the clinker in cement with calcined clay and limestone. This less energy-intensive process cuts emissions by up to 40% 

2. Virtual power plants and grids – software coordinates home batteries, electric vehicle chargers, and smart thermostats to supply power or ease demand, while digital twins, live virtual copies of the grid, predict its next move 

3. Abundant materials batteries – sodium, zinc, and iron batteries trade the light weight of lithium for cold tolerance, fire safety, and multi-day storage 

4. Thermal energy storage (heat batteries) – storing renewable power as heat in brick, sand, or molten salt to run industrial furnaces, which use about a fifth of the world’s energy 

5. Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells – a perovskite layer stacked on a silicon cell generates up to 20% more energy from the same site 

6. Advanced subsea high voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnectors – connecting national grids to move surplus clean power to where it is needed 

7. Modular nuclear reactors – factory-built, small, and transportable reactors aim to deliver cleaner power at a competitive cost 

8. Building-integrated photovoltaics – turning roofs, facades, and windows made of silicon-laminated materials into solar generators without new land 

9. Floating offshore wind – turbines moored in water deeper than 300 meters unlock wind power from some of the world’s strongest winds 

10. Next-generation lithium batteries – lithium-sulfur and solid-state batteries pack more energy into less weight with a lower fire risk 

Energy solutions for a planet under pressure 

The report arrives as Earth’s natural systems come under greater strain. The Planetary Health Check 2026 by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research found that seven of the nine planetary boundaries have been breached, all at their highest recorded levels. This underscores the urgent need for actionable, scalable, science-backed solutions.

Energy runs through almost all planetary boundaries. How we produce power largely determines how much carbon enters the atmosphere and how quickly the oceans acidify. It shapes how land, water, and minerals are used, and affects how well communities cope with heatwaves and disruptions. That is why the report assesses each technology for its impacts on planetary boundaries, equity, and security. It weighs the benefits and trade-offs for the planet, people, and systems that deliver power. 

Sebastian Buckup, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, said: 

"Energy is not some abstract thing. It matters for families and whether they can keep their homes cool during a heatwave, whether communities can recover after a storm, whether businesses can stay open and whether kids grow up with clean air. With prices changing quickly and growing interest in diversifying energy supply, this report looks beyond emissions to technologies that can give everyone reliable, affordable power and are practical enough to scale." 

Frederick Fenter, Chief Executive Editor of Frontiers, said: 

“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. 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.”

Join the launch at COP31

The Top 10 Emerging Technologies for Planetary Health: Energy Edition report will be launched at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. Journalists with Blue Zone accreditation are invited to attend the launch in-person. Energy and climate experts will present the findings, followed by a live Q&A. No prior registration is needed.

Date: Friday, 13 November 2026 

Time: 15:30-16:30 TRT (UTC+3) 

Venue: Special Event Room 5 (SPE 5), Blue Zone, Antalya EXPO Center, COP31 

Speakers:  

• Ben Caldecott, Director, Oxford Sustainable Finance Group 

• Evelyn Wang, Vice President for Energy and Climate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

• Frederick Fenter, Chief Executive Editor, Frontiers 

• Johan Rockström, Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research 

• Rumaitha Al Busaidi, Vice President, Environment Society of Oman 

• Sebastian Buckup, Managing Director, World Economic Forum