Global greenhouse gas emissions are at a record high ten years after the Paris Agreement, but their growth has slowed dramatically and the world has likely avoided a much steeper rise in pollution that once looked inevitable. Even so, current policies still put the planet on course for roughly 2.4–3.1°C of warming, far above the Paris goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C.

Europe’s proposed European Grids Package is designed to speed up and simplify the way new grid, storage, and renewable projects get permitted, while directing massive investment into cross-border “energy highways” to support the energy transition. For UK solar PV and battery storage customers, faster and clearer grid connections on the continent will influence power prices, flexibility markets, and best practice for future grid reforms close to home.

Great British Energy’s new strategic plan positions job creation at the heart of the UK’s clean energy transition, with a specific pledge to support at least 10,000 jobs over the next five years in regions historically reliant on oil and gas. This shift matters for places like Aberdeen, Teesside and the Humber, where offshore wind, grid upgrades and large-scale solar can replace declining fossil fuel employment with long term green careers.

Ofgem has agreed early investment and updated delivery dates for three major high‑voltage projects dubbed UK electricity “superhighways”, aiming to move more Scottish and North Sea wind power to English demand centres and cut constraint costs on consumer bills. These links are expected to play a key role in integrating offshore wind, reducing payments to turn turbines off when the grid is full, and improving the business case for local solar PV and battery storage systems alongside wider grid upgrades.

Economic growth and carbon emissions are no longer moving in lockstep across most of the global economy, according to new analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU). The study shows that in the decade since the Paris Agreement, decoupling has become the norm rather than the exception, with a growing number of countries expanding their economies while stabilising or even cutting their CO₂ output. This shift is being driven by rapid deployment of clean energy technologies such as solar PV and battery storage, areas where UK installers like Atlantic Renewables are playing an increasingly important role.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) concludes that meeting the UK government’s net zero targets is not only affordable, but is actually the lowest­cost option for the country overall once fuel savings and climate damages are included. While net zero requires tens of billions of pounds of extra investment each year, this is offset by lower fossil fuel use, reduced exposure to price shocks, and avoided environmental harm – and creates major opportunities for clean technologies such as solar PV and battery storage delivered by installers like Atlantic Renewables.

The new UN Global Environment Outlook (GEO) report warns that the way the world currently produces food and fossil fuels is inflicting about $5bn (£3.8bn) of environmental damage every single hour, largely through climate change, pollution, and the destruction of nature. This hidden cost dwarfs what consumers pay at the pump or the supermarket checkout and highlights how urgently economies must shift towards low‑carbon energy, sustainable agriculture, and circular resource use. For UK households and businesses, that means rapidly cutting dependence on fossil fuels and embracing clean technologies like solar PV and battery storage from trusted installers such as Atlantic Renewables.

UK households are expected to see higher energy bills over the next decade after the energy regulator approved a £28 billion package to upgrade Britain’s gas and electricity networks, with total network charges forecast to rise by about £108 per home by 2031. Regulators argue that while bills will go up in the short term, investing now should avoid even higher costs later by reducing grid bottlenecks and exposure to volatile gas prices as more low-carbon power – including solar PV – connects to the system.

The sharp drop in UK solar panel costs in the 2024/25 financial year means solar PV is now more affordable than at any point in the last few years, significantly improving payback times for homes and businesses of all sizes. Medium-sized commercial systems have seen the biggest percentage savings, but small domestic arrays have also become far cheaper, opening the door to many more UK households considering solar.