Oil and gas prices are soaring. Some countries are ready with solar panels and EVs

[Uncle Joe]

As the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran continues, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, cutting off a quarter of oil and natural gas supplies from the rest of the world. Qatar has shut down its liquified natural gas or LNG production, with no clear date to restart in sight.

But energy experts say some countries are better positioned to weather this energy crisis than they would have been just a few years ago. That's because of the rapid growth of renewable energy, battery systems and electric vehicles, says Jan Rosenow, energy and climate professor at Oxford University.

"That's not a coincidence," Rosenow says. "It's a deliberate strategy to move away from [imported oil] and electrify."

In China, more than half of new car sales are now electric. In Nepal, it's more than 70%. As oil prices rise, residents with EVs are less vulnerable than if they had to rely on fuel. "It's an energy security solution and it's a cost solution," says Kingsmill Bond, analyst at the energy think tank Ember.

(snip)

https://www.npr.org/2026/03/16/nx-s1-5732984/energy-iran-war-solar-pakistan-crisis-renewable-evs

[Mysterian]

1. And some countries are fucked

because idiots voted for an obvious con-man.

[OC375]

2. Cars and communes and office spaces are awesome

But everything needs oil to get where it’s going globally. You can drive the EV to the stalled factory assembly line, then drive over to the the empty store, and then sit at home in a cold house with the lights on, but an empty pantry.. We need more that doesn’t use oil because the supply chain, not consumer is choked.

[Uncle Joe]

3. The world still gets oil, but only at about 80% perhaps more considering only the warring factions,

and their allies are prohibited from the entering or exiting the Strait per Iran.

Nations that do have higher rates of solar and wind development have much greater flexibility in adapting to increased fossil fuel restrictions; which may primarily affect factories, and oceanic transportation but at least on a personal level is less adverse from a financial or existence standpoint than being exclusively tied to fossil fuels.

On the other hand, nations still championing the fossil fuel age as the end all are hit with double whammies when its' people suffer from both micro and a macro shortage effects.

If this continues mid or long term, I expect it will spark rapid further advancement in R & D of renewables.

[OC375]

4. I agree

In Cuba, for example, I was reading they suffered a power grid collapse tpday because of the oil embargo. I hope they can adopt renewables that suite their locale, as a smaller nation might be just the pace for it. I'd think wind and solar would be feasible at scale there, but I'm no expert.