When there is an excess of electricity on the grid, households can get paid for charging an electric car or heating water. By helping balance the grid, a household can earn more than €20 a month, says Jan Hicl.

 

A well-trained AI model can detect problems before a human notices them, says Juraj Kováč, whose research has also received recognition in France.

 

Car manufacturers have already exhausted the cheapest ways to cut emissions. Cement plants are running into the limits of available technologies, while recyclers are being held back by bureaucracy that is slowing investment.

 

The Strait of Hormuz blockade has revealed that Europe has replaced Russian gas with unpredictable LNG prices. This is driving up energy costs for both businesses and households, Oxford researchers say.

 

Solar power is being added faster than new power lines and batteries can be built. When the grid cannot absorb the surplus electricity, prices fall below zero on sunny days.