The Iran war sparked a shift toward clean energy. Will it last?

The recent conflict between the U.S. and Iran pushed fossil fuel prices up around the world, and that drove a lot of people toward clean energy alternatives. A deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil and gas shipping route, has since brought oil prices down, though experts think it could take up to a year for prices to fully settle, partly because fuel infrastructure in the Middle East was damaged during the fighting.

While the war lasted, the price spike had real effects. Electric vehicle sales, which had been sluggish, picked up in the U.S. and globally through April and May. In Europe, households in Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands installed rooftop solar to dodge high electricity bills. In India, a cooking gas shortage pushed people toward induction stoves, and the Philippines saw a jump in rooftop solar installs as well. Some analysts think this could mark a lasting shift rather than a temporary blip, pointing to the 1970s oil crises as a precedent that pushed the world toward more efficient energy use.

For homeowners in the U.S., the most direct effect so far has been at the gas pump rather than in home energy costs. But the broader trend is worth watching: if fossil fuel prices stay volatile, electric options like EVs, induction cooking, and rooftop solar may keep looking more appealing on cost and reliability grounds, regardless of what happens with any single conflict.