Today's Energy Pulse
Scania pilots megawatt‑scale V2G for heavy‑duty electric trucks
Scania demonstrated one of the first vehicle‑to‑grid systems for heavy‑duty electric trucks using the Megawatt Charging System (MCS). The pilot showed bi‑directional power flow, allowing trucks parked at depots to feed electricity back to the grid, with real‑time communication between the truck, charger and energy‑management platform enabling dynamic charging and discharging. The test marks a step toward integrating large‑capacity EVs into grid balancing.
Also developing:
A Huge 5 GWh Thermal Energy Storage System Is Now Delivering Power to a South Dakota Biofuels Facility
Stored Energy Systems (SENS) has commissioned a 5 GWh thermal energy storage (TES) plant that now supplies reliable power to a biofuels facility in South Dakota. The system uses molten-salt technology to store excess renewable electricity and dispatch it on demand, reducing the plant’s reliance on grid power. SENS reports a round‑trip efficiency of roughly 85% and a projected 30% cut in the facility’s fuel‑costs. The deployment demonstrates that large‑scale TES can be integrated directly into industrial processes, paving the way for broader adoption in energy‑intensive sectors.
ConnectDER Meter Collar Compatible with EcoFlow Home Backup Storage
ConnectDER has integrated its IslandDER Meter Socket Adapter with EcoFlow’s OCEAN Pro home backup battery, enabling direct connection behind a home’s utility meter. The solution is rolling out in major solar markets such as California, Arizona, Illinois, Florida and Texas. By...
Off‑grid Solar Powers Dreams and Futures in Malawi
What does off-grid solar make possible for a family that has never had reliable electricity? In Lilongwe, Malawi, I spent time with Maya Stewart, cofounder of Yellow Malawi and one of the best entrepreneurs I've met, who is working in one...
Trina Launches Third Generation of Elementa BESS, Now Reaching 6.25 MWh
Trina Storage has introduced Elementa 3, the third generation of its utility‑scale battery energy storage system, featuring a 6.25 MWh single‑container capacity. The new platform delivers a 12.3% boost in module energy density and a 24.7% increase in site‑level energy density, which...
5-MW Solar Project on Closed Minnesota Landfill Now Complete
Cedar Creek Energy, Connexus Energy and Kearsarge Energy have launched Minnesota’s first solar farm on a closed landfill. The 5‑MW, single‑axis tracking array in Ramsey sits on MPCA‑managed land, part of a state program overseeing more than 100 legacy sites....
Australia Doomsday Scenario: $200 Oil
Australia’s Treasury included a worst‑case scenario in its 2026 budget, assuming an intensified Iran‑Israel conflict pushes crude oil to US$200 a barrel. The analysis warns that such a price shock would cripple global supply chains, especially through the Red Sea,...
A Demand-Driven Energy Transition
Clean energy now often costs less than new fossil generation, yet U.S. grids face a backlog of over a terawatt of renewable projects awaiting interconnection. Accelerating electricity demand—driven by AI data centers, electric transport, and industrial electrification—has outpaced infrastructure capacity,...
Breakthroughs for Batteries Could Soon Make Them Much Better
Lithium‑ion batteries, the workhorse of smartphones and electric vehicles, are nearing their theoretical performance ceiling, with gains in energy density and safety becoming increasingly marginal. Researchers highlighted several emerging chemistries—solid‑state, lithium‑sulfur, and sodium‑ion—that could overcome these limits by offering higher...
Aussie Stike to Worsen LNG Crisis
Australian union leaders have announced a two‑week strike at a major LNG export facility starting May 27, 2026. The action comes as global LNG supplies are already constrained by the ongoing Iran‑Israel conflict and the closure of the Strait of...
Investors Back US Renewable Energy Projects But Want Market Uncertainties Fixed
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) projects $120 billion in U.S. renewable‑energy investment for 2026, potentially adding a record 62 GW of new capacity. Solar and battery storage are expected to attract the bulk of capital, with $53 billion and $22 billion respectively,...
Beach Energy Positions Itself as M&A Magnet After Australia’s Domestic Gas Mandate
Beach Energy Ltd., valued at A$2.6 billion ($1.8 billion), says the new Australian policy requiring gas producers to retain a share of output for domestic use makes it a prime takeover target, especially for export‑focused rivals on the east coast.
Italian Group Eni Considers Third Floating Natural Gas Platform Off Mozambique
Italian energy giant Eni is weighing the addition of a third floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) platform off Mozambique’s coast. The company already committed to its second FLNG unit, Coral North, which is slated to double the country’s LNG output...
Oil Prices Swing as Trump Delays Iran Strike, Brent Near $110 Amid Supply Fears
President Donald Trump announced a pause to a planned strike on Iran, sending Brent crude down to $110.83 per barrel. Traders remain jittery over the Strait of Hormuz blockage, with Citi forecasting Brent could climb to $120 if supply gaps...
PV Electricity for E-Mobility: Tion Renewables to Supply Solar Power for German IONITY Fast-Charging Network
Tion Renewables and IONITY have signed a long‑term power purchase agreement under which Tion will supply solar electricity to IONITY’s German fast‑charging sites starting in 2027. The deal supports Tion’s target of 3 GW installed solar capacity by 2030 and gives...
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[Episode #276] – Electricity Reform in South Africa
In this episode, Chris Nelder explores South Africa’s sweeping electricity reforms, focusing on the creation of the South Africa Wholesale Electricity Market (SOWEM) and the unbundling of Eskom into separate generation, transmission, and distribution units. He interviews economist Dr. Kenneth...
Nebius Inks $2.6B Fuel‑cell Pact for 250 MW
RBC out commenting on the $BE $NBIS $2.6B deal in a 6k filing, reits $335 PT Nebius disclosed in its 6K this morning that it had entered into a Master Fuel Cell Capacity Agreement with Bloom. Under the agreement, Nebius...
Florida DOT Leases Stormwater Ponds for Floating Solar
Florida DOT leases potentially all its stormwater ponds for floating solar development #energysky -- via Solar Power World: https://t.co/Y5ii1gDZ2j
Rachel Reeves to Protect ‘Critical’ Clean Energy Projects From Legal Challenges
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced planning reforms to fast‑track critical clean‑energy projects in England and Wales by limiting judicial reviews to human‑rights grounds. Projects designated as “critical national importance” will receive streamlined approval, aiming to cut delays that have slowed...
Fixed-Charge Hikes Undermine the Economics of Rooftop Solar and Storage, Elevate Consumer Costs
State utility regulators in 27 states are imposing high fixed monthly charges or minimum bills on residential electricity accounts, while simultaneously lowering per‑kilowatt‑hour rates. This rate redesign erodes the financial returns for rooftop solar owners and those pairing solar with...
SNS2026: Shanks Rejects Ramp up of North Sea Drilling
Energy Minister Michael Shanks rejected calls to expand North Sea oil and gas drilling, reaffirming the UK’s ban on new fossil‑fuel licences. He emphasized that the government will accelerate renewable energy deployment, citing the proposed Energy Independence Bill. While existing...
Floating Natural Gas Plant Heads to Yucatán as Power Deficits Bite
Mexico has signed a contract with Turkish firm Karpowership to deploy a 250 MW floating natural‑gas power plant off the Yucatán Peninsula as summer demand peaks. The mobile LNG‑fueled unit is intended to alleviate chronic grid deficits and provide dispatchable electricity...
NERC Flags Fewer Grid Risks as Natural Gas Demand Climbs
North America’s power grid is deemed more resilient for the summer of 2026, according to the latest NERC reliability outlook, which flags fewer systemic risks than a year ago. At the same time, natural‑gas demand is projected to climb sharply...
Phillips 66 to Proceed with Two New Processing Plants
Phillips 66 approved two midstream projects—a 300 MMcfd Zeus gas plant and a 100,000 bpd Coastal Bend NGL fractionator—targeting 2028 startup. The Zeus plant will be fed by the new 45‑mile Midland Express (MEX) pipeline, which can move up to 230 MMcfd and offers bi‑directional...
OFAC’s $275 Million Settlement with Adani Enterprises Signals Aggressive Focus on Iranian Energy Evasion
On May 18, 2026, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed a $275 million settlement on India’s Adani Enterprises for importing Iranian‑origin LPG disguised as Omani and Iraqi cargo. The company processed roughly $192 million in U.S.‑dollar payments through U.S....
Abu Dhabi’s $100B Power Shift: Beyond UAE’s OPEC+ Rebellion to Hormuz Escape Pipeline & Investments
The United Arab Emirates announced a coordinated energy strategy that includes exiting OPEC+ on May 1 2026, accelerating ADNOC’s capacity to 5 million barrels per day by 2027, and completing the West‑East 1 pipeline to double Fujairah’s export capability to roughly 3.3 million barrels per...
Europe Is Losing the Energy Security Battle to China
The Iran war has forced Europe to spend an extra $28 billion on fossil‑fuel imports, highlighting a widening energy‑security gap with China. China already derives about 30% of its energy from electricity and controls key clean‑energy supply chains, while the EU...
Energy Future Forum: Rewriting Energy Playbook
The third annual Energy Future Forum, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and partnered with RealClear and the National Center for Energy Analytics, brought together leaders from energy, technology, and investment sectors. Attendees examined how to deliver abundant, affordable...
Cincinnati Is Turning a Blighted Former Landfill Into a Solar Energy Hub
Cincinnati broke ground on the $24 million Center Hill Solar Array, a 10‑megawatt photovoltaic project on a former landfill. The city will own 4.9 MW of capacity while Austin‑based UPower Energy will develop an equal share under a power‑purchase agreement. The solar...
Natural Gas Power Burn Holds Ground as Lower Prices Counter Record Solar Output
Spot natural gas prices fell on Wednesday as milder temperatures reduced cooling demand across the central and eastern U.S. Despite the price dip, natural‑gas‑fired power generation rose 4 % in the week ending May 15, driven by coal‑to‑gas switching. Solar output hit...
US Crude Drops, SPR Release Offsets, Fuel
US crude oil inventories declined by 7.9 mb to 445 mb. The US government increased supplies from the SPR by 9.9 mb. Both gasoline and distillate inventories are below the 5-year range.
Weekly Crude Oil Inventories Fall -7.863M vs -2.942M Estimate
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a 7.86 million‑barrel drawdown in crude oil inventories, far exceeding the 2.94 million‑barrel decline analysts expected. Private data released later showed an even larger 9.1 million‑barrel drop, while gasoline stocks fell 1.55 million barrels and distillates rose 0.37 million...
IREC Study Grades Each State’s Interconnection Practices
IREC’s latest “Freeing the Grid” study grades each state’s interconnection policies for distributed energy resources. New Mexico earned the only A, while nine states achieved B or higher and eight improved since 2023. Over 80% of states remain at C...
USA EIA Lowers Henry Hub Price Forecast for 2026, 2027
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reduced its Henry Hub spot price outlook, projecting an average of $3.50 per MMBtu in 2026 and $3.18 in 2027, down from its April forecasts of $3.67 and $3.59 respectively. The revised STEO also...
Iran War Prompts Nigeria Producers to Lift Oil Output
The outbreak of the Iran‑War has tightened global crude supplies, prompting Nigeria’s smaller oil producers to accelerate output expansion. Companies such as Oando, Petralon, Pan Ocean and Newcross are collectively targeting an additional 200,000‑300,000 barrels per day, pushing national production...
The Big Power Shift: From Megawatts to System Performance
India’s renewable energy capacity has surged fivefold, topping 197 GW in 2025 and exceeding 250 GW by early 2026, representing 51.5% of total installed power. Yet grid bottlenecks leave up to 50 GW of renewable potential stranded, with 4,000 MW in Rajasthan unable to...
U.S. PV Manufacturing Capex Could Reach $7 Billion in 2027 in Breakout Year for Domestic Supply-Chain
U.S. photovoltaic manufacturing capital expenditure is projected to reach $7 billion in 2027, a 150% year‑on‑year jump. Crystalline‑silicon (c‑Si) will dominate the spend, accounting for more than 90% of the total, while thin‑film investments shrink to about 10%. The surge is...
Reeves to Unveil Planning Protections for Power Plants
The UK Chancellor’s upcoming planning reforms will allow Parliament to designate certain energy projects as “critical national importance.” This label streamlines the approval process and narrows the scope for judicial review, effectively shielding power‑plant developments from legal challenges. The policy...
PJM Accelerates Backstop Auction Amid Uncertainty over Data Center Cost Allocation
PJM Interconnection announced it will move its one‑time backstop reliability auction forward to September, accelerating the timeline originally set for March. The auction, intended to address a surge in data‑center load, now targets roughly 9 MW of capacity, a sharp cut...
UK Delays some Sanctions on Russian Oil and Gas Amid Middle East Conflict
The United Kingdom has postponed full sanctions on Russian oil and liquefied natural gas, issuing a trade licence that permits imports of jet fuel and diesel refined from Russian crude in third‑party countries and waiving restrictions on LNG shipments from...
Japan's Refinery Run Rates Rise in May Despite Iran War
Japan’s refinery run rates climbed to 76 % in the week to 16 May, up 2.8 percentage points and surpassing the five‑year May average. Operational capacity rose to 2.95 million b/d and crude throughput increased 3.8 % to 2.36 million b/d. The boost comes despite the US‑Iran...
Hydrostor Pitches 500‑MW Underground Pumped‑hydro Storage in Ontario’s Grid Choke Point
Hydrostor has submitted a proposal for the Quinte Energy Storage Centre, a 500‑MW, 4‑GWh underground pumped‑hydro facility in eastern Ontario, targeting the IESO’s long‑lead‑time procurement. The plan draws scrutiny from local conservation authorities over groundwater impacts and agricultural land use.
EIB Loans Billion-Euro Sum for Hamburg’s Distribution Grid and Electric Buses
The European Investment Bank approved a €1 billion ($1.08 billion) loan to Hamburger Energienetze (HNE) to modernise Hamburg’s electricity distribution grid, and a €125 million ($135 million) loan to Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg‑Holstein (VHH) for 188 new battery‑electric buses. HNE plans to spend €2.9 billion ($3.13 billion) on...
IRGC Overstates Hormuz Ship Transits Compared to Trackers
The IRGC-announced Hormuz ship transit totals are always notably higher than what is captured by ship-tracking sources (including those tracking dark transits) If not explicit exaggeration, they're likely also counting smaller vessels that aren't captured by ship trackers.
Natural Gas Futures Tumble as Production Revision, Cooler Forecasts Challenge Rally
Natural‑gas futures slipped on Wednesday as cooler weather trimmed heating demand and a sharp upward revision to Lower‑48 production added supply pressure. The June contract fell amid elevated storage levels that blunted price support, even as geopolitical tension over Iran...
Directional Economics CEEMEA: Energy Shock 2.0 – Who Breaks, Who Bends?
The 2026 energy supply shock is testing Central and Eastern Europe, shifting the focus from raw energy dependence to policy capacity. The Czech Republic emerges as the most resilient thanks to low inflation and diversified exports, while Poland’s growth is...
Eskom to Go to Market for 5.2GW of New Nuclear Within a Year
South Africa's state utility Eskom announced exploratory talks with the World Bank and other financiers to fund a multibillion‑dollar nuclear expansion of up to 5.2 GW, aiming to launch the programme within a year. The plan splits into 4.8 GW of conventional...
How Trump’s EO 14300 Is Reshaping NRC Nuclear Licensing and Regulation
President Trump’s Executive Order 14300 has driven the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to overhaul its licensing regime, issuing the first advanced‑reactor construction permit in decades and the first TRISO fuel manufacturing license. The agency has launched 33 active rulemakings, introduced Part 53...
DRIFT's Energy-Harvesting Vessel Concept Earns AIP
DRIFT Energy received an Approval in Principle from classification society RINA for its pioneering energy‑harvesting vessel, which aims to generate and store clean power while sailing. The design integrates hull‑mounted hydro‑kinetic turbines with onboard electrolysis to produce green hydrogen, turning...
Pemex Health Check: Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel
President Claudia Sheinbaum has replaced Victor Rodríguez Padilla with Juan Carlos Carpio, the former CFO, as CEO of state‑run oil giant Pemex. The appointment marks a strategic pivot from the production‑first agenda that defined the previous administration toward tighter financial discipline. Carpio’s elevation follows a...
UK to Curb Judicial Reviews that Stall Giant Wind Farm Projects
The UK government announced plans to limit the use of judicial reviews that have repeatedly delayed large offshore wind and grid projects. The new measures will tighten standing rules and require pre‑filing permission, aiming to speed up approvals for projects...