Iran war energy crisis is a renewable energy wake-up call

The Iran war is exposing how much the global economy still depends on fragile fossil fuel supplies. The conflict has virtually choked off the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. That's shaking up markets and pushing prices higher. Countries reliant on imported fossil fuels — from wealthy industrial economies to poorer developing nations — are facing major disruptions that can quickly ripple through utility bills, food prices, transport costs and electrical grids. Analysts say the crisis is a stark reminder that energy security is not just about stockpiles and shipping, but also about the lagging transition to renewable energy.

AP News

As a Portuguese I have a more nuanced view of these type of takes.

We invested _heavily_ and prematurely in renewable energies -- see my comment from a couple of years ago [0]. Since then, our energy prices were high for a while and now they're not much lower than the EU's average because all that investment needs to be amortized [1]. Two years ago, we ran a whole month on renewables [2]. Despite this, our increase in energy prices since the Iran war started has been dramatic and the price of everything has been going up significantly. I can't help but think about the ROI on all those renewables if they can't help make our lives easier at a time like this. I'd much rather we go nuclear.

[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37719568

[1]: https://eco.sapo.pt/2026/03/11/precos-da-eletricidade-e-gas-...

[2]: https://www.portugalglobal.pt/en/news/2024/april/renewable-e...

I'd like to offer a more critical perspective as a Portuguese living in Portugal... | Hacker News

> I'd much rather we go nuclear.

I think/hope you mean "I'd rather we adopt/use nuclear energy."

I don't think anyone was at risk of misunderstanding their intent...
Some of the people at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue might willfully misunderstand.