Today's Energy Pulse
Scania pilots vehicle‑to‑grid power for heavy‑duty electric trucks
Scania showcased one of the first V2G systems for heavy‑duty electric trucks using the Megawatt Charging System (MCS). The pilot demonstrated bi‑directional power flow, letting trucks feed stored electricity back to the grid while parked, with real‑time communication enabling dynamic charging and discharging. The company also opened orders for trucks equipped with an extra battery pack and MCS.
Also developing:
Iran Says Tankers Are Suspended at Hormuz Due to Israeli Attack on Lebanon
Iran’s state media said it suspended oil‑tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz after Israel launched a large‑scale attack on Lebanon, while U.S. officials insisted the waterway remains open and traffic is rising. The announcement came amid a fragile cease‑fire deal between Washington and Tehran, with Iran warning it could walk away if strikes continue. A 48,000‑dwt Panama‑flagged tanker, the Auroura, was spotted turning back toward Oman, underscoring the confusion. Both sides traded conflicting statements about the strait’s operational status.
Chevron's CEO Made $104 Million While America Bombed Iran
A Wall Street Journal investigation reveals that oil‑sector CEOs have been cashing in on the Iran‑U.S. conflict at an unprecedented rate. Chevron’s chief executive Mike Wirth alone sold roughly $104 million of stock between January and March, with $17.2 million of those...
Gas and LNG Markets, Apr. 8, 2026
The ongoing Middle‑East conflict is driving sharp price volatility that is boosting first‑quarter oil trading results for both Shell and Exxon Mobil, even as their regional operations face disruptions. QatarEnergy has begun restarting its LNG plant now that the Strait...
What the Iran Conflict Means for Gas Prices, Clean Energy, and the Climate
U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have forced Iran to restrict traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, cutting global oil supply by more than 10% and pushing crude prices up $40 per barrel. U.S. gasoline prices have risen above $4...
The UK’s Largest Solar Farm Just Got the Green Light
The UK government approved the 800 MW Springwell Solar Farm in North Kesteven, set to become the nation’s largest solar project. Developed by EDF Power Solutions and Luminous Energy, the farm will begin generating power in 2029, enough to supply over...
The Energy Crisis Won’t End Right Away (Even if the Iran War Does)
The U.S.–Iran cease‑fire sparked a rapid drop in crude prices, but analysts warn the energy crunch will linger for months. Production, refining and export capacity lost in March‑April cannot be quickly rebuilt, keeping diesel, jet fuel and fertilizer costs elevated....
Peru Scales up Solar Capacity as Sunny Complex Reaches 345 MW
Peru’s utility‑scale solar sector accelerated with the commissioning of Sunny Expansión, a 141 MW addition that lifts the Sunny complex in Arequipa to 345 MW. The expansion, approved by COES on April 3, 2026, followed a rapid six‑month development cycle after the original...
The Race for Laser-Driven Fusion Energy Heats Up
Laser-driven inertial fusion is entering a new competitive phase as national labs and private firms accelerate development of ultra‑high‑energy laser systems. The U.S. National Ignition Facility recently delivered a record 1.3 MJ of laser energy, while Europe’s Extreme Light Infrastructure plans...
Ethanol Exports Continue Upward Trend, RFA Says
U.S. ethanol exports have surged, with 2025 setting a record of about 1.9 billion gallons and 2026 off to a rapid start, delivering over 200 million gallons in each of the first two months. Canada remains the largest importer, purchasing nearly 800 million...
White House: Strait of Hormuz Closure 'Completely Unacceptable' Under Ceasefire
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed reports that Iran had shut the Strait of Hormuz, calling any attempt to halt maritime traffic "completely unacceptable." She hailed the fragile ceasefire as a U.S. victory and said the Trump administration’s military...
Brent and WTI Plunge yet Stay Well Above Pre‑war Levels
Price Signal: large decline of 16.75 in Brent & 18% in WTI perfectly captures volatility that has characterized energy and commodity prices since the start of the war. That being said Brent is still 25.7% & WTI 38.3% above pre...
Daily Energy Report
California faces the steepest impact of the Hormuz crisis as Iran‑U.S. tensions choke crude shipments from the Middle East and curtail jet fuel and gasoline exports from Asia. The state’s reliance on overseas supplies—particularly South Korean and Indian sources—combined with...
Costco Is Starting a Standalone Gas Station Empire With a 40-Pump Discount Fuel Oasis
Costco is launching its first standalone gasoline station, a 40‑pump discount fuel oasis in Mission Viejo, California, slated for June 2026. A second site is planned for Honolulu, Hawaii, with opening in 2027, and additional locations are being scouted. The...
The Single Factoral Terms of Gasoline*
A recent spike in gasoline prices has drawn attention, though the absolute level remains lower than the peaks seen in 2005‑08, 2011‑14, and 2022. The author notes that a price of $5 per gallon is likely needed before ordinary consumers...
US‑Iran Ceasefire Triggers Oil Price Drop but Long‑Term Supply Uncertainty Persists
The United States and Iran announced a two‑week ceasefire, sending Brent crude down about 16% to $93 a barrel and sparking a rally in global equity markets. While the truce offers short‑term relief for oil‑dependent economies, analysts caution that the...
The Iran Conflict: Out-of-Sample Evidence for Global Energy Diversification
The Iran‑driven closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sharply disrupted global oil and LNG flows, exposing the limits of region‑centric benchmarks. Murban crude surged to about $50 a barrel, creating a historic $48 spread versus WTI, while European gas...
Iran's Proposal to Collect Tolls in the Strait of Hormuz Violates Trade Norms
Iran has offered to collect tolls on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz as a condition for ending the war with the United States and Israel. The proposal conflicts with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,...
CCJ Aprova Projeto Sobre Compartilhamento De Postes E Texto Segue Para a Câmara
Brazil’s Senate Constitution and Justice Committee approved Bill 3.220/2019, establishing a national regime for sharing electricity poles between power distributors and telecom providers. The amendment, introduced by Senator Esperidião Amin, assigns pole management to the electricity concessionaire and sets a...
Chevron-Microsoft Talks Hint at the Future of AI Power Infrastructure
Chevron, Microsoft and investment firm Engine No. 1 have entered an exclusivity agreement to explore a multibillion‑dollar natural‑gas power plant in West Texas. The proposed facility, estimated at $7 billion, would deliver roughly 2,500 MW—enough to power a large AI‑focused data‑center campus. While...
Ceasefire Crumbles, Oil Profits Surge, War Resumes
Here’s how this goes: ceasefire collapses in 24-48 hours — as it basically already has — people make billions on oil swinging 16% in a day, the U.S. re-arms and this whole situation is back to square one in less...
Eight Million Barrels of Oil to Set Sail for Taiwan This Month
Taiwan's state‑run CPC Corp arranged to ship about 8 million barrels of crude—roughly one‑third of its monthly demand—through the Red Sea to avoid the Strait of Hormuz. One 2‑million‑barrel tanker is already loaded but delayed by the Middle East conflict. CPC...
Outlook for Electric Vehicle Battery Materials: Video
IDTechEx analyst Daniel Parr released a video outlining the near‑term outlook for electric‑vehicle battery materials. He highlights accelerating demand for lithium, nickel and cobalt, while noting supply constraints and the rise of recycling and solid‑state technologies. The analysis also points...
Can US Innovation Shift the Second-Life EV Battery Landscape?
The United States lags behind China and the EU in second‑life EV battery deployment due to weak federal policy, costly UL certification, and limited battery supply. A partnership between AI‑infrastructure firm Crusade and recycler Redwood has built the world’s largest...
Warm US Temps and Sinking Crude Prices Weigh on Nat-Gas Prices
May Nymex natural gas (NGK26) closed down 5.09%, hitting a 7.5‑month low as warm weather curtails heating demand. The price slide mirrored a 15% drop in crude after the US‑Iran cease‑fire, adding further pressure. Medium‑term support exists from tighter global...
Illinois County Courthouse Cuts Ribbon on 1.3-MW Solar Project
Cook County, Illinois, celebrated the ribbon‑cutting of a 1.3‑MW solar array at its Skokie courthouse, installed by Ameresco. The project is part of a broader Clean Energy Plan that already includes an 806‑kW system at the Markham courthouse and 17...
The Hormuz Crisis Is Making Low-Carbon Energy Strategies More Expensive
The Iran‑Houthi conflict in the Strait of Hormuz has sharply disrupted sulfur shipments, driving global sulfur prices up more than 70 percent and reaching about $600 per metric ton. Sulfuric acid, a by‑product of oil refining, is essential for hydrometallurgical...
WTI and Dollar Set for Sharp Drop, Rebound Looms
There were quite a number of factors that suggested WTI and the US Dollar were on the verge of a big plunge which coupled with recent market breadth improvement & cyclical low possibilities in early April, pointed to a rebound...
Shell Prints Cash From Chaos
Shell heads into Q1 with a dual narrative: its trading desks are cashing in on heightened oil‑price volatility sparked by the Iran‑driven Strait of Hormuz crisis, while physical gas production is slipping 3%‑7% after damage to Qatari facilities and weather...
$2B Investment Drives Expansion of U.S.-Canada Oil Flows
Bridger Pipeline LLC announced a $2 billion, 650‑mile pipeline from the U.S.–Canada border to Wyoming, capable of moving up to 1.13 million barrels per day, with an initial flow of 550,000 bpd and optional tie‑ins to the Bakken shale. The line is positioned...
Iran Demands Bitcoin For Ships Passing Hormuz During Ceasefire
Iran's Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters' Union announced that any oil tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz during a two‑week cease‑fire must pay a toll of $1 per barrel in Bitcoin. Ship owners must email cargo details, receive a...
Singapore's PM Knows Australia Is Vulnerable but Albanese Has Leverage
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is traveling to Singapore to secure fuel supplies as the Iran‑Israel war threatens the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil transit route. Singapore provides roughly 55% of Australia’s unleaded petrol and is a major source...
800MW Springwell Solar Farm by EDF Power Receives Greenlight, Largest of Its Kind in the UK
The UK government has approved EDF Renewables' Springwell Solar Farm, an 800 MW photovoltaic project that will power roughly 180,000 homes. Spanning an area equivalent to 1,700 football pitches between Lincoln and Sleaford, the development also includes a large‑scale battery‑storage system....
Arpit Dwivedi on the 2,000-Year-Old Battery That Could Power the World | Believe in Aliens Episode 4
Cache Energy is commercializing a 2,000‑year‑old chemical reaction that stores electricity in limestone (quicklime) pellets housed in ordinary grain silos. Founder Arpit Dwivedi argues the approach is three to five times cheaper than competing long‑duration storage and can be deployed...
The Iran War Is Driving a Global Surge of Interest in Electric Vehicles
The Iran‑Iran war’s disruption of oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz has pushed global gasoline prices above $4 per gallon, sparking a sharp uptick in electric‑vehicle interest worldwide. In the United States, used EV sales rose 12% year‑over‑year and...
US-Iran War Sends FuelEU Abatement Price Negative
The FuelEU UCOME‑MGO abatement price turned negative on 7 April, reaching roughly –$25.8 per tonne CO₂e after the US‑Iran war pushed fossil‑fuel prices to record highs. ICE gasoil futures hit an all‑time $1,569.75 per tonne, eroding the traditional green premium for...
Oil Prices Fall, but Energy Firms Remain Frozen After U.S.-Iran Deal
Oil prices plunged after President Trump announced a cease‑fire with Iran, but the truce has not translated into operational changes for Gulf energy producers. Ongoing Iranian attacks across the Arabian Peninsula and Israeli strikes in Lebanon keep the security situation...
Middle East Turmoil Could Slash Oil Demand by 20%
Seismic shift in energy markets? Here's what international consultants Wood Mackenzie had to say: "Middle East disruption could cut global oil demand 20% and gas 10% by 2050 as energy security drives shift to independence." Asia is electrifying. Get over it, Alberta.
Crude Oil Returns to 2022 War-Level, Hits 2023 High
Crude Oil back into the 2022 Russia/Ukraine War breakdown pivot and 2023 high. This is a key level. $CL_F $USO $OIL https://t.co/ehl0hXXoRO
Batteries Buying “Free” California Solar, Driving up Price
Aurora Energy Research reports that California’s growing battery fleet is buying excess solar power, lifting mid‑day wholesale prices by up to $42 per megawatt‑hour. On March 20, 2026, more than 3 GW of storage injected $10.9 million into the market, translating to an...
BYD's 1.5 MW Flash Chargers Add 400 Km in 5 Minutes
BYD's new Flash Charging stations hit up to 1.5 MW peak power. With their Blade Battery 2.0, it adds ~400 km range in 5 minutes (10-70% charge) or 97% in 9 minutes.
New Solar Panel Grid Shields PV Systems From Pigeons
Sassmann develops “solar panel grid” for PV systems for pigeon protection #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/3bfBmYevfZ
Why Gas Prices Won’t Fall as Quickly as Oil Prices
Oil futures plunged about 20 percent to roughly $92 a barrel after a tentative U.S.–Iran cease‑fire, but gasoline prices are likely to stay high for weeks. The average U.S. regular pump price sits at $4.16 per gallon, the highest since August 2022...
Maximizing Battery Storage Value in Australia’s NEM
VIDEO: Extracting more value from battery storage assets in Australia’s NEM #energysky -- via Energy Storage News: https://t.co/qiEiRcisAk
Delta's Refinery Ownership Feels Oddly Out‑of‑place
It's pretty incredible that Delta owns a refinery. It's like if you go to someone's house and they have a Diet Coke fountain in the kitchen.
India Climbs to Third Globally in Renewable Energy Capacity, Adding Record 55 GW in FY2025-26
India added a record 55.29 GW of renewable capacity in FY 2025‑26, pushing total non‑fossil capacity to 283.46 GW and moving the nation to third place globally, overtaking Brazil. Solar contributed 44.61 GW, wind 6.05 GW, and distributed solar supplied over a third of the...
Sarcastic Doubt over Immediate Strait of Hormuz Reopening
Yeah right. Just as it also agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz immediately and unconditionally.
“Pry Open” VPP Markets by Ensuring VPP Providers May Access Customer Data, Groups Say
Two nonprofit groups, the Open Markets Institute and Mission:data Coalition, allege that utilities are using exclusive control over smart‑meter data to block independent virtual power plant (VPP) aggregators. They argue that utilities can terminate data access at will, impose exclusive...
A Global Oil Crisis Is Giving Suriname’s Offshore Dreams New Life
Suriname’s offshore Block 58 is gaining momentum as the 2026 global oil shock pushes buyers toward non‑Middle‑East sources. TotalEnergies says the $10.5 billion Gran Morgu project is 50% complete and aims for 220,000 barrels per day by 2028. The basin could hold up...
Base Power Announces Battery-Free Texas Retail Energy Plan Across Major Utility Territories
Base Power launched the Base Energy plan, a battery‑free retail electricity offering for Texas deregulated customers. The plan delivers flat all‑in rates of 13.2 to 15.7 cents per kilowatt‑hour by leveraging the company’s virtual power plant of installed home batteries....
Gas Surpassed Coal, Marking Decade-Old Energy Shift
I remember ~1 decade ago when gas overtook coal for power generation and it was considered a major symbolic turning point.