Here's Why Here's Why the Iran War Resets the Energy Transition
Mar 27, 2026
Akshat Rathi, senior climate reporter and Zero podcast host who covers energy shocks, discusses how the Iran war rattles oil and gas markets. He explores pre-war transition trends, renewables framed as energy-security tools, reliability and storage tradeoffs, historical shocks that reshape policy, and which regions may fast-track clean energy.
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Second Energy Shock Accelerates Clean Energy
- The Iran war is the second major energy shock in a decade and it accelerates moves toward clean energy in import-dependent regions.
- Akshat Rathi compares this to post-1970s shocks, noting governments and individuals shift choices and renewables get a structural boost.
Energy Transition Now Seen Through Security Lens
- Energy transition framing has shifted from emissions to security since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, making domestic renewables strategically attractive.
- Rathi says most countries have enough wind and sun; the remaining barriers are affordability and deployment financing constraints.
Batteries Make Renewables A Practical Replacement
- Renewables alone can't fully replace fossil fuels but pairing solar and wind with batteries, nuclear and geothermal can greatly reduce dependency.
- Falling battery costs make intermittency easier to solve, improving renewables' reliability as part of a mixed system.