Industry Musings by Brian Paxton: February 2026

People Change:

Brewers, sugar refiners and sweet makers are amongst companies predicting a drop in sales as a result of widespread use of weight loss drugs.

German think tank Ifo predicts the German population will decline by 5% by 2050.

A study by Emory University researchers of data on millions of older Americans concludes that breathing in tiny air pollution particles increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Climate Change and the Environment:

There have been major floods in countries bordering the Western Mediterranean as well as in Brazil and other northern areas of South America.

Low Cost Renewable Energy:

The Chinese PV Industry predicts between 238 GW and 287 GW of additional Chinese PV capacity in 2026.

American government data show solar and battery storage will comprise 79% of the 86 GW of new utility scale electricity capacity planned for 2026.

According to BloombergNEF, lead times for the delivery of large transformers in the USA have more than doubled since 2019 causing prices to increase 79%.

In 4Q25 Australia’s wind generation was 30% higher than 4Q24, grid solar 15% up, battery output tripled, gas generation down 27% and coal down 4.6%.

Kardinia Energy secured Australian government funding to scale up its flexible, low cost printed solar technology.

EDF announced a further one year delay, costing € 2.5 billion, to the completion if England’s Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant now estimated to cost £ 31 billion compared to an original budget of £ 18 billion.

Autonomous Electric Vehicles:

Research in Europe by Fraunhofer ISI, the Oeko-Institut and the IFEU found that the real world fuel consumption of plug in hybrid electric vehicles is 300% higher than official tests.

Waymo has completed more than 20 million fully autonomous trips in major American cities.

Uber is also planning to launch self driving taxis.

China has 50,000 km of high speed rail; the EU has 8,500 km in 2023; the USA might have 80 km.