London, 16 September 2026 - The technologies transforming the world’s energy systems and those driving the digital economy are converging into a new industrial revolution built on the electron, according to a new flagship analysis from global energy think tank Ember.
Published today by Ember ahead of Climate Week NYC, The Age of Power is the sequel to The Electrotech Revolution. This new analysis explores how energy and information, long treated as separate systems, are increasingly built on the same technologies, supply chains and economics. As the two revolutions converge, they are reshaping industrial competitiveness, global markets and geopolitics.
“The electron is now the frontier of both action and intelligence,” said Lead author Daan Walter. “Economies that harness both revolutions together, not one alone, will lead the Age of Power.”
The report argues that the electron now sits at the centre of both revolutions. Electricity has overtaken oil as the world’s largest source of useful energy, a shift that took place in 2007. More than 99% of global information storage and communication already runs on electrons.
Five shared technologies - chips, batteries, power electronics, motors and sensors - underpin both systems. Since 1990, the combined cost of these technologies has fallen by 99%, and every purchase in one revolution makes the other cheaper. For example, smartphones drove the battery costs down that helped build the electric vehicle industry, and the electric vehicle in turn made grid-scale batteries affordable.
As electrotech and information technology scale together, the report finds they have the potential to significantly reduce costs across the economy. Household energy running costs could fall by 80%, transport costs by up to 70%, and manufacturing costs by 40-70%.
The report argues that countries that combine both revolutions stand to gain an advantage. Many countries are advancing just one or the other - either the electrotech revolution or the information revolution. Only a few countries are making progress in both simultaneously. China is the leading example of a country furthest along in fusing these two revolutions, but the opportunity is open to all. Since 2010, China has more than doubled its electricity supply, increased electric vehicles to more than 60% of new car sales, and built the world’s largest automation fleet.
Co-author Kingsmill Bond, a director at Ember, noted that “Each country needs to bring down electricity costs, retool policy to enable people to embrace electrotech and infotech, and find a niche in the new system where it can flourish.”
“This is truly important research, as it lays out the direction of travel so clearly for governments and business across the globe – merge the two ongoing revolutions or get left behind”, said Helen Clarkson OBE, CEO of Climate Group, organisers of Climate Week NYC. “This year, these will be some of the critical topics at Climate Week NYC. With a sharp focus on the electrification of economies and on the implications and opportunities of the tech revolution, we're setting the stage for COP31-discussions and boardroom decisions on key issues.”
Notes to the editor: The report will be published at 00:01 AM London on 16 September 2026 at this link: https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-age-of-power/
About Ember: Ember is an independent energy think tank that aims to accelerate the clean energy transition with data and policy. It creates targeted data insights to advance policies that urgently shift the world to a clean, electrified energy future. ember-energy.org @ember_energy /company/emberenergyresearch