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:
South Africa’s Pipeline of Advanced Wind Projects Stands at 17 GW – GWEC
The Global Wind Energy Council’s 2026 report shows South Africa’s advanced wind pipeline at roughly 17 GW, enough to start construction within five years. The country already operates over 4 GW of wind capacity, has 2.8 GW under construction, and a total pipeline exceeding 60 GW. Policy reforms such as the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act and the unbundling of Eskom are improving market certainty, but transmission bottlenecks in the Western and Eastern Cape remain a key obstacle. Global wind installations hit a record 165 GW in 2025, underscoring the sector’s rapid growth.
European Electricity Prices Increase Despite Falling Gas Prices
AleaSoft Energy Forecasting reported that the weekly average electricity price topped €95 ($112)/MWh in most major European markets last week, except France, Portugal and Spain where prices hovered around €50‑€71 ($59‑$84)/MWh. Italy recorded the highest average at €123.19/MWh ($145), while...
Exergy3 Raises £10m to Shake up the Clean Heat Market
Exergy3, a University of Edinburgh spin‑out, has closed a £10 million (≈$12.7 million) seed round to commercialise its ultra‑high‑temperature thermal‑energy storage platform. The technology converts surplus renewable electricity, such as curtailed wind power, into high‑temperature heat for industrial processes that are hard...
An Oil Company Joins with the Trump Administration to Bully California over Offshore Drilling
Houston‑based Sable Offshore secured a March 13 Defense Production Act order from the Trump administration, allowing it to restart its California oil pipeline system despite a 2020 consent decree and a state court injunction. The Department of Energy re‑designated the...
UK’s Biggest Offshore Wind Blades Installed at East Anglia THREE
ScottishPower, part of Iberdrola, and Masdar installed the first turbine at the $5.4 billion East Anglia THREE offshore wind farm off Suffolk. The turbine carries 115‑metre blades, the largest ever installed in UK waters, overtaking the previous 108‑metre record. The project will...
‘Getting Off the Fossil Fuel Rollercoaster’: UK Sets Out Long-Awaited Measures to Decouple Gas and Electricity Prices
The UK government announced new measures aimed at weakening the link between gas and electricity prices, a relationship that currently drives electricity costs about 60% of the time through marginal pricing. The plan introduces voluntary long‑term fixed‑price contracts for low‑carbon...
Vietnam Updates Pricing Framework for Small Renewable Power Plants
Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Circular 20/2026/TT‑BCT to overhaul the pricing framework for small‑scale renewable power plants. The new rules, effective 2 June 2026, refine avoided‑cost tariff calculations, define rainy and dry seasons by power‑system region, and set a uniform definition...
Oil Prices Edge Lower As US-Iran Ceasefire Deadline Looms
Oil prices edged lower on Tuesday as hopes rose for fresh U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan, with Brent crude slipping to $95.05 a barrel and WTI to $86.91. The decline was modest, capped by the International Energy Agency’s warning that the...
RWE And EMR Transform Fire-Damaged Components Of Scroby Sands Turbine
RWE has partnered with UK recycler EMR to deconstruct and recycle fire‑damaged components from its Scroby Sands offshore wind turbine. Over 140 tonnes of steel, aluminium, copper and composite materials were recovered, achieving a 99% recycling rate and avoiding more than...
Don't Mistake Easing Oil Prices for Calm, Analyst Warns
Oil analyst Ole R. Hvalbye of SEB warned that Brent’s front‑month price, now around $95 per barrel, masks underlying volatility and supply risk. Over the past two weeks the contract has swung between $86 and $104, while dated Brent—a better...
Mideast Gulf War 'Locks In' Higher Fossil Fuel Cost: UN
The UN climate chief warned that the Middle‑East war has locked in higher fossil‑fuel prices for months, adding roughly $23.5 bn to Europe’s import bill. He described the surge as a "gut punch" that fuels stagflation, raising inflation while choking growth...
Africa’s Sovereignty Will Be Built at Home, Not Granted Abroad
The article argues that Africa’s future standing will be defined by the depth of its governing capacity rather than mere international recognition. It separates juridical sovereignty from governing and strategic sovereignty, stressing the need for fiscal depth, revenue generation, and...
How to Operate PV-Driven Residential Heat Pumps Under Time-Varying Tariffs
Researchers at Cranfield University in the UK have created a day‑ahead scheduling model for residential heat pumps that leverages rooftop PV output and time‑varying electricity tariffs. The framework combines distributionally robust chance‑constrained programming with DOE‑ANOVA analysis to handle PV forecast...
Australia Institute on Gaslighting; Risky Flood Proposal; GetUp and Hanson; STH BNK by Beulah
A Nationals senator is fact‑checking the Australia Institute’s claim that a 25% gas export tax could fund free university and childcare, as the federal government reconsiders a new gas tax. In New South Wales, the state faces backlash for proposing...
Bristow, Electra, Avinor, Norwegian CAA to Trial Regional Electric-Aircraft Services
Bristow Group, Electra, Avinor and the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority have signed a contract for a second international test of zero‑ and low‑emission aircraft. The partnership will showcase Electra’s hybrid‑electric Ultra Short nine‑passenger plane, targeting routes of 80‑800 km and...
Maryland Passes Energy Bill That Delivers Short-Term Relief, Locks Ratepayers Into Long-Term Nuclear Subsidy
Maryland lawmakers passed the Utility RELIEF Act in the session’s final minutes, offering short‑term bill relief by cutting the EmPOWER energy‑efficiency surcharge and funding $100 million in rebates from the state’s clean‑energy fund. The bill also imposes a one‑year moratorium on...
How Deep-Red Utah Helped Launch a Portable Plug-In Solar Movement
Utah enacted HB 340, the first U.S. law permitting residents to plug solar panels directly into standard outlets, creating a portable “balcony solar” market. Inspired by Germany’s balcony‑solar surge, the bill caps output at 1,200 watts and requires Underwriters Laboratories (UL)...
UK Tries to Break Gas Link with Voluntary Long-Term Fixed Price Contracts for All Renewables
The UK will introduce voluntary long‑term fixed‑price contracts for all renewable generators under a new Wholesale Contracts for Difference (WCFD) scheme, starting in 2026 with allocations in 2027. The move aims to shield renewables from volatile wholesale prices set by...
Wind Energy Growth in Germany Rises by Nearly 50 Percent in the First Quarter of 2026 - Wind Power Generation...
Germany’s wind sector added 228 turbines and 1,533 MW of capacity in Q1 2026, a 49% year‑on‑year increase. Onshore growth was modest, with 192 turbines delivering 1,065 MW, while offshore installations surged with 36 turbines adding 468 MW. Net capacity rose by 1,295 MW after...
Rongke Power Debuts 2 MW/8 MWh Vanadium Flow Battery Storage System
Chinese energy storage firm Rongke Power unveiled the TPower2000, a 2 MW/8 MWh vanadium‑flow battery touted as the world’s highest‑power single‑unit system. The modular design can expand beyond 10 MW and occupies roughly 35 m² per MWh, about 28% less space than typical solutions....
Energy Costs Crippling AI Growth in UK
A new CUDO Compute survey finds that 20% of British companies have already shifted AI workloads abroad as soaring electricity prices and grid constraints make domestic compute uneconomical. One‑third of firms say energy costs are actively curbing their ability to...
Trump Is an Absolute Disaster for the Oil and Gas Industry
Donald Trump’s recent military actions, notably the strike on Iran that closed the Strait of Hormuz, have sent oil prices soaring to $140‑$150 a barrel and reignited fears of a prolonged energy shock. Analysts at the CeraWeek summit described a...
WindEurope 2026: Urge for EU Electrification Push
WindEurope’s 2026 Madrid event urged EU leaders to make electrification a top priority, presenting a ten‑point “Madrid Call to Action” aimed at strengthening energy security. The group highlighted that the war in Iran has amplified the need for home‑grown power,...
Volvo Trucks Drives Electrification Forward: New Electric Trucks with up to 700 Km Range Set a Technology Benchmark
Volvo Trucks unveiled the FH Aero Electric, a battery‑electric long‑haul truck capable of up to 700 kilometers on a single charge. The model uses a new e‑axle that integrates dual motors and a transmission, freeing space for a larger battery and...
Kolhapur Industrialists Threaten Protest Against Grid Support Charges Imposed on Solar Power Installations
Kolhapur’s commerce and industrial groups are threatening street protests and a possible relocation of solar projects to Karnataka unless the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) withdraws its new grid‑support charges on rooftop solar systems above 10 kW. MERC has fixed the...
Fabricating Perovskite Solar Cells with Robotic Boxes
An international team unveiled an AI‑driven robotic platform that autonomously designs, fabricates, and optimizes perovskite solar cells. The closed‑loop system produced and tested 50,764 devices, achieving a peak power conversion efficiency of 27% (certified 26.5%). The workflow combines a recipe...
War in Iran Is Causing Biggest Energy Crisis in History, IEA Says
The International Energy Agency’s chief, Fatih Birol, warned that the war involving Iran, the United States and Israel has triggered the worst energy crisis in history. The conflict has choked the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for about 20% of...
Dutch Activists Launch New Case Against Shell Over Emissions
Dutch climate group Friends of the Earth Netherlands filed a fresh lawsuit in The Hague demanding Shell immediately cease investing in new oil and gas projects. The case builds on a 2024 appeals ruling that held Shell responsible for cutting...
Norway's March Oil, Gas Output Tops Forecast
Norway’s offshore sector delivered 0.691 million standard cubic metres per day in March, equating to 4.35 million barrels of oil equivalent, surpassing the regulator’s forecast by 2.8%. Crude‑oil output jumped 8.1% year‑on‑year to 1.94 million barrels per day, outpacing the 1.80 million‑bpd estimate. Natural‑gas...
Reading the 2026 Fuel Adjustment: A Middle-Class Story
Indonesia’s April 2026 fuel-price adjustment raised only select nonsubsidized grades—Pertamax Turbo, Dexlite and Pertamina Dex—while keeping Pertamax, the most common fuel, and the subsidized Pertalite unchanged. The move shields the poorest but shifts the burden to the middle class, whose...
The World Is Embracing Offshore Wind — Even as the US Retreats
Global offshore wind capacity grew 16% in 2025, adding over 9 GW to bring the total to about 92 GW worldwide, while the United States has stalled under the Trump administration’s leasing freeze. Europe and Asia are accelerating projects, with the United...
Haryana Turns the Heat on Power Thieves, to Recover ₹8.2k Cr
The Haryana government has launched a crackdown to recover roughly ₹8,200 crore (about $1 billion) in unpaid electricity bills, using the Land Recovery Act to attach properties of defaulters. Consumers have a 15‑day window to settle dues before civil recovery and possible...
Asia’s Largest Oil Buyers Running Low on Hormuz Alternatives
Asia’s biggest oil importers—including China, India, Japan and South Korea—have relied on a patchwork of alternative routes and supplies for more than seven weeks of war in the Persian Gulf, which has threatened the strategic Strait of Hormuz. These workarounds,...
Insurance Premiums Trending Down Despite Severe Weather Threat for Solar
Australian renewable energy underwriter Tokio Marine GX says insurance premiums for large‑scale solar, wind and battery projects are set to fall in 2026, though the decline is uneven. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are seeing faster premium reductions thanks to...
Emerging Nations Power 80% EV Growth
New IEA data: EV sales in emerging markets surge 80% in 2025 >India: EVs up 75% to record 2.3m EV units sold >Indonesia: 125% increase >Viet Nam: EVs hit staggering 40% share of new car sales >Thailand: EV share of new sales hit 21% >Latin...
Russian Oil to India Near Record Levels Despite Sanctions Waiver
MOSCOW, April 21 (Reuters) - Russian oil sales to India are set to remain near record highs in April and May following a new U.S. sanctions waiver, and refiners have already secured much of their supply needs via non-sanctioned entities...
Malaysia Consumes 700,000 Barrels of Oil a Day, Twice Its Daily Production, so Importing Still Needed – MoF
Malaysia consumes about 700,000 barrels of oil each day, roughly twice its domestic production of 350,000 barrels. To meet the shortfall, the country imports roughly 48% of its crude, with about 40% of those imports transiting the conflict‑affected Strait of...
Long‑duration Storage Key to Beat China's Clean‑tech Dominance
Energy storage that lasts for hours, or even days, is crucial to provide round-the-clock renewable power. It's also an opportunity for rivals to challenge China's grip on clean technology https://t.co/6Uoif0edMi
China Set to Outpace US in Nuclear Capacity by 2030
Yicai: "China is expected to surpass the United States in operational nuclear power capacity before 2030, becoming the world’s largest, as the country accelerates reactor construction and investment." https://t.co/mmGLIDcA5g
The Forces of Scarcity Hitting Asia May Soon Spread Across the World
The United States and Israel’s war on Iran has triggered a rapid, region‑wide scarcity shock across the Asia‑Pacific. Jet fuel prices have doubled and air traffic has fallen by roughly a third, while manufacturers face fuel‑driven cuts to output, from...
Czech PM Pushes
Czech PM Andrej Babis called on the European Union to relax environmental rules to ease the impact of the energy price spikes caused by the Iran war https://t.co/sNcKeBC90u
Oil Shocks Pivoted UK From Fuel‑oil Heating
U.K. PETROLEUM consumption from 1870 to 2024, showing the impact of the oil shocks in 1973/74 and 1979/80 in changing the trajectory of oil consumption, primarily through phasing out the use of fuel oil for electricity generation as well as...
WindEurope's 10-Point Plan to Boost Wind Power in Face of Iran Energy Crisis
WindEurope unveiled a 10‑point plan aimed at accelerating wind‑power deployment across Europe. The roadmap targets faster permitting, grid reinforcement, and new financing tools to help the continent reduce its dependence on oil and gas. It comes as the ongoing conflict...
Russia to Halt Kazakhstan Oil Shipments to Germany
MOSCOW, April 21 (Reuters) - Russia is set to stop oil exports from Kazakhstan to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline starting from May 1, three industry sources said on Tuesday.
Equities Price AI; Oil Ignores Real Supply Shock
Equity markets have priced in AI, which might happen. Whereas, oil markets have NOT priced in what has already happened. ~ 1 billion barrels of oil has been lost to date… and oil prices are up only ~50%.
Europe Misreads Energy Future: Overhype Hydrogen, Underuse Electrification
Energy disinformation is the new climate denial. New interview with @wblau of @BrunswickGroup on why Europe is underestimating electrification, overestimating hydrogen & arguing about scarcity when alternatives are abundant. https://t.co/o5P7pucVAl https://t.co/t5QJGQLG5S
China's CO2 Emissions Flat, Coal Power Declines.
Hi Harriet, you might have missed it but China's CO2 has been flat or falling for nearly two years https://t.co/xqAnUNQOdR The "rising coal" in your link is coal power capacity, not actual coal demand https://t.co/5xxRPefgvj Coal power fell last year https://t.co/lZal4xcGlg
UK to Curb Gas Power with Fixed-Price CfDs
NEW: Details of UK govt plans to "break influence of gas on electricity prices" Carrot: Offer fixed-price "wholesale CfDs" to old renewables, replacing wholesale ££ but not RO top-up Stick: Higher windfall tax of 45–>55% on 1 July for old renewables/nuclear 1/3 https://t.co/zMNwT7DWGm
ECO4's Demise Blamed on Governance, Not Policy
New paper out 🎉 The UK just ended 32 years of Energy Efficiency Obligation Schemes. We argue it's a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater — ECO4 failed due to governance failures, not instrument failure. https://t.co/4nb2f6M2rK https://t.co/j2c2tMw7lG
Russia to Supply China Gas at One‑third Cheaper than Europe
China is getting cheap natural gas from Russia 🇨🇳🤝🇪🇺 The Russian government expects to sell gas to China through 2029 at about a third less than the price paid by Europe (this includes Turkey) https://t.co/LgIAxNwHXq https://t.co/5t7y1oF7zy