Featured in 2025 Unboxed – 02-2025

The next industrial revolution

The past 20 years have seen remarkable shifts in technology, from smartphones to solar and the electrification of transport. Clean energy and technology consultant Gerard Reid argues that an even bigger shift is looming, with the combination of clean electricity and AI set to usher in an “era of electrification intelligence.”

By

pv magazine

07 Feb 2025

Electricity demand from data centers is projected to ramp up significantly as AI proliferates. | Photo: Iron Mountain

Revolutions have often been driven by an energy source and transformative invention. The industrial revolution in the 19th century’s age of coal saw the steam engine catalyze huge demand for coal, creating vast wealth and transforming Britain, Europe, and the United States into global powers. The 20th century brought the age of oil. The internal …

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