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:
U.S. Biofuels Target Could Fuel Destruction of Tropical Rainforest
President Trump announced an EPA rule that raises the Renewable Fuel Standard to 27 billion gallons of biofuel by 2027, including a 60 percent jump—about 9 billion gallons—in biomass‑based diesel. The United States does not produce enough vegetable oil to meet the new target, forcing larger imports that could spur deforestation in tropical regions. EPA estimates the rule will cost roughly $20 billion over two years and lift diesel prices by 30‑36 cents per gallon. Critics argue the policy may increase greenhouse‑gas emissions rather than reduce them.
Sponsored: Power Is Now the Growth Constraint: What Data Center Executives Must Rethink in 2026
Data center growth is increasingly limited by power availability, with interconnection queues, grid congestion, and ESG pressures turning electricity from a cost line‑item into a strategic constraint. Executives are seeing traditional utility procurement models falter at 20‑400 MW scales, prompting board‑level...
Dominion SC IRP “Doubles Down on Costly Fuels” — Sierra Club Analysis
Dominion Energy South Carolina’s 2026 Integrated Resource Plan leans heavily on fracked‑gas and keeps coal plants operating well beyond typical retirement dates. The filing shows the Wateree and Williams coal units slated for retirement no earlier than 2032‑2047, while the...
RB Rail Launches New Tender for the Electrification of Rail Baltica
RB Rail AS has opened a new procurement process for design‑consultancy services covering the energy subsystem of the Rail Baltica high‑speed line in Latvia and Lithuania. The tender is split into two separate lots, allowing firms to bid on either country...
EPURE Urges EU Action on Biofuel Recommendation
The European Commission has urged the EU to boost biofuel use to strengthen energy security, warning of possible prolonged disruptions in international energy trade. In response, ePURE is calling for the Fuel Quality Directive to be reopened and for the...
Week in Review
This week saw a flurry of federal actions spanning environmental, election and consumer‑protection policy. The Endangered Species Committee granted Gulf of Mexico oil producers an exemption from the Endangered Species Act, while President Trump issued an executive order tightening absentee‑ballot...
Leading UK Climate Scientists Warn Against New North Sea Drilling
A coalition of leading UK climate scientists has publicly warned the government against approving new oil and gas drilling licences in the North Sea. They argue that the additional production would generate roughly 30 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, undermining the...
What the Iran War Will Cost Britain
Britain faces the steepest energy‑cost impact from the Iran war despite importing little oil or gas through the Strait of Hormuz. Pre‑war, the UK already endured the highest industrial energy prices among G7 nations, a grid strained by intermittent offshore...
Tanker Shipping Market Very Tight Due to Dislocation of Tonnage
A New York panel convened by NYMAR and YSPNY warned that tanker markets have become exceptionally tight after the onset of Operation Epic Fury, which displaced VLCCs and forced Suezmaxes and Aframaxes onto Asian routes. Panelists highlighted Asia’s heightened dependence on Middle‑East crude...
U Power Advances in Thailand Heavy Truck Battery Swap Market
U POWER Limited secured an order for 1,000 battery‑swapping heavy‑duty trucks in Thailand and completed its first production batch, while its Hong Kong taxi battery‑swap project is set to launch stations and begin operations in Q2 2026. The company, the world’s...
Oil Shock Therapy – When WTI Breaks the World Order
U.S. benchmark WTI has surged above Brent, flipping the long‑standing pricing hierarchy and signaling acute market dislocation. The inversion stems from immediate supply scarcity driven by heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and lingering Russian export constraints. Front‑month WTI...
The Dangerous Myth of Green Capacity – by Amanda Van Dyke (Substack – March 25, 2026)
The article argues that "installed capacity" – gigawatts of wind and solar – is a misleading metric for the energy transition. It represents a theoretical maximum output under ideal conditions, not the electricity actually delivered. China’s rapid build‑out and Europe’s...
Ventura Offshore Secures Brazil Rig Extensions with Petrobras
Ventura Offshore announced contract extensions for two of its offshore rigs operating in Brazil. The 2009‑built SSV Victoria will receive a 1,455‑day extension starting January 2027, adding roughly $466 million to the company’s backlog. The drillship Atlantic Zonda secured a 365‑day extension...
Hyderabad’s Net‑Zero Home Uses Earth Walls to Ditch Air‑Conditioning
Architects Vamshidhar Reddy and Mounica Reddy of Iki Builds completed Aurva Illam, a 5,660‑sq‑ft net‑zero residence in Hyderabad that eliminates conventional air‑conditioning through earth‑based passive cooling. The project blends repurposed quarry debris, rammed‑earth walls and terracotta vaults to create a...
Oakland County Rolls Out Green Design Blueprint to Transform Suburban Homes
Oakland County unveiled its Green Design Blueprint, a comprehensive plan that makes sustainability a core element of new housing, public facilities and streetscapes. The initiative promises measurable emissions cuts, reduced utility bills and a transparent, community‑driven design process.
Nano Nuclear Secures NRC Construction Permit for 15‑MW Kronos Micro‑Reactor at Illinois
Nano Nuclear Energy filed a construction permit application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its 15‑megawatt Kronos high‑temperature gas‑cooled micro‑reactor at the University of Illinois. The filing, described by CTO Florent Heidet as a defining moment, moves the project...
European Earnings Rebound 4% in Q1 2026, Energy Profits Surge 25%
Analysts expect the STOXX 600 index to post a 4% year‑over‑year earnings gain in the first quarter of 2026, reversing a prior 2% decline. The lift comes almost entirely from energy companies, whose profits are projected to rise about 25%...
Disk‑Shaped Nanocatalyst Cuts CO₂‑to‑Methanol Temperature to 200 °C
A research team has introduced a disk‑shaped PtMo6O24@NU1K nanocatalyst that hydrogenates carbon dioxide to methanol at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 200 °C. The catalyst delivers a higher space‑time yield across the 100‑200 °C window and remains active for 3,600 hours without...
Quantum Battery Charges Faster as It Grows, Defying Classical Limits
Scientists at Australia’s CSIRO and RMIT University have built a quantum battery whose charging time shrinks as the device gets larger, overturning the classic trade‑off between size and speed. The prototype uses collective light‑matter interactions to achieve femtosecond charging and...
Emerald AI Raises $25 Million to Turn Data Centers Into Grid Assets
Emerald AI closed a $25 million strategic expansion round led by Energy Impact Partners, adding investors such as Siemens, Samsung Ventures and NVIDIA’s NVentures. The funding will accelerate its Conductor platform, which lets AI‑heavy data centers act as flexible resources for...
RM3.2B Fuel Subsidy: Who Ultimately Pays?
RON95 is still RM1.99. The government spent RM3.2 billion in under a week to keep it there. Who do you think pays for that eventually — consumers or businesses? Drop your answer below
Brent Basis Spread Hits $32, Shifts to June Contract
Goldman>The gap between dated Brent-the cornerstone of the global physical oil market and the reference point for many crude purchases by global refineries-and the near-dated Brent futures-which shifted from the May to the June contract...
Nomura Cuts India Rating to Neutral, Urges Shift to Korea and China Amid Oil Spike
Nomura has downgraded Indian equities to Neutral from Overweight, warning that soaring energy costs, AI lag and a slowdown in domestic inflows could pressure valuations. The broker also flagged $61.2 bn of foreign outflows and suggested investors re‑allocate to Korean equities,...
Drone Strikes Destroy 40% of Russia's Primorsk Oil Storage
Exclusive: Russia's Primorsk oil terminal lost 40% of storage to drone attacks, satellite images show https://t.co/zqKHubcFrw
Kremlin Says Strait of Hormuz Open for Russia
MOSCOW, April 2 (Reuters) - Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz was open for Russia.
Uzbekistan Resilient Electricity Transmission Project
Uzbekistan’s National Electric Grid (NEGU) has issued a Request for Expressions of Interest to secure consulting services for the Uzbekistan Resilient Electricity Transmission Project, funded in part by an AIIB grant. The consultancy will cover technical, environmental, social, climate, economic,...
Omani‑linked Groups Own Tankers
The tankers are not going to Oman @ryan_czm They are owned by groups from or linked to Oman. I wanted to understand who was willing to take this risk.
Osaka Gas Eyes US Gas Plants to Power AI Boom
Japan’s Osaka Gas is considering to invest in *five* US gas-fired power plants 🇺🇸 ⚡️ This could be a pretty profitable bet. US gas is cheap and the AI boom is slated to boost power demand Gas can provide around-the-clock electricity data...
Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant Gets Final Go-Ahead to Run Through 2030
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed Diablo Canyon’s operating license, allowing the plant to stay online through at least 2030. Originally slated to close in 2025, the deadline was extended by California lawmakers in 2022 because the facility supplies...
U.S. Consumes More Crude Than It Produces, Remains Net Importer
The US is a net importer of crude oil. It consumes more crude oil than it produces, it doesn't have crude oil to sell to the world. https://t.co/OuDErnkSc9
Austria to Add 1.63 GW Solar by 2025
Austria deploys 1.63 GW of solar in 2025 #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/V6RpszBQVH
Kudlow -Thursday, April 2
On Thursday, April 2, Fox Business aired a special episode of Larry Kudlow's program, featuring a roundtable on domestic and global economic policies. The show highlighted a presidential address and an interview with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi focusing...
Qcells Launches Leasing-Focused Solar Platform for US Homes
Qcells rolls out leasing-led solar platform for US residential sector #energysky -- via pv-tech: https://t.co/mRqH87tM2B
7‑11% Oil Cut Triggers Systemic Economic Collapse
A 7–11% loss of oil supply is beyond what the global economy can absorb, says @LukeGromen It’s not a recession risk—it’s systemic failure. The only uncertainty is where the break shows up first, not whether it happens.
Romanian Platform Opens BESS Financing to Retail Investors
Romanian investment platform looks to open up BESS project financing to retail investors #energysky -- via Energy Storage News: https://t.co/FYd9JLWdC7
UK Battery Storage Surge: SSE Launches 300MWh Unit
UK BESS ROUNDUP: SSE commissions 300MWh unit, Matrix, Drax and Voltaria progress projects #energysky -- via Energy Storage News: https://t.co/2Cf4KJGzIG
India’s First Iranian Oil Shipment Rerouted to China
🇮🇳While the media highlighted India's first Iranian oil shipment in recent years, Kpler tracking now shows the vessel has been redirected to China. Will get an update tomorrow. Map form @Kpler
AI Power Race Forces Massive US Grid Overhaul
The Mad Scramble to Power AI Is Rewiring the US Grid by @EddyTheGent https://t.co/h1WvxqsuTM https://t.co/CAErhttqjD
700 EVs Demonstrate Viable Redispatch Capability in Germany
German pilot shows 700 EVs can provide redispatch services #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/o6EGIKt7Sw
Governments Urged to Fund Gas Network Death Spiral
Governments urged to share costs of gas network death spiral, as rule maker lays down the law #energysky -- via Renew Economy: https://t.co/NCh5M1Lf2O https://t.co/MAGCiD7nTI
India Cuts Fuel Taxes, Firms Absorb Losses, Supplies Secured
Indian government has cut excise taxes on petrol and diesel to help keep pump prices stable. Oil marketing companies are also sharing the burden, bearing losses of INR 24/litre (12 cents) on petrol and INR 104/litre ($1.12) on diesel.
Solar Battery ‘Daylight Saving’ Cuts Australian Energy Costs
Seize the day: Time to let solar “daylight saving” in batteries reduce our costs in Australia Renewables increasingly bring tight band of lower prices, and batteries, though only small but growing part of NEM supply, reduce volatility displace gas in peak https://t.co/hs477zGk9e...
Croatia Commits €40 Million to Home Solar, Batteries, Heat Pumps
Croatia to invest €40 million in household solar, batteries, heat pumps #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/eeevDnbYfO
Rooftop Solar Reaches 20% of Puerto Rico’s Power
Rooftop solar now accounts for one fifth of Puerto Rico’s generation capacity #energysky -- via pv magazine usa: https://t.co/xHeJg8d7b6
Omani‑flagged Tankers Navigate Strait Hugging Coastline
Three tankers broadcasting Omani ownership appeared to enter the Strait of Hormuz today by hugging Oman's 🇴🇲 coastline Two oil supertankers and a liquefied natural gas vessel headed east into the strait today - Bloomberg
Brent Spot Price Hits $141.36, Highest Since 2008
The spot price for current physical cargoes of Brent crude oil soared Thursday to $141.36, the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, according to S&P Global - CNBC
Geopolitical Oil Spikes Usually Brief, Sometimes Linger on Markets
GS: Most historical oil spikes linked to geopolitical shocks had a temporary impact, but some weighed on equities and bonds for longer https://t.co/Vxa6K0Dhkc
Hormuz Crisis Drowns Out Other Potential Headlines
Hormuz crisis suck the air out of what would have been big news, like the one below. Press the translate button
SMA Forecasts Bigger 2025 Loss Amid Weak PV Market
SMA Solar Technology confirms wider loss for 2025 on weak PV market #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/mrKSXmNrlc
US PERC Module Prices Jump 20% Amid Flat Market
PERC module prices up 20% in the US, as overall module prices remain constant #energysky -- via pv-tech: https://t.co/tCjDFGAGwR