Around 30 percent of the world's electricity came from renewable sources in 2023, and the share is climbing fast. Most of the growth came from solar and wind power, which have become the cheapest ways to add new generation in many places. Hydropower still supplies the largest share of renewable electricity, but its growth is slower because suitable rivers are mostly already dammed. Solar in particular has expanded at a remarkable pace, as panels have fallen steeply in price over the last fifteen years. The big question now is whether grids, storage and transmission can keep up with the new supply.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.