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:
EPRI Launches New Large Load Framework to Reduce Time to Power for Data Centers
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has introduced Flex MOSAIC, a voluntary framework that classifies flexibility of large electric loads such as data centers. Developed with more than 65 utilities, system operators, regulators, hyperscalers and technology firms, the scheme defines flexibility by response speed, duration, magnitude and frequency. By giving the industry a common language, EPRI expects shorter interconnection studies, clearer grid‑planning signals and faster access to power for AI‑driven facilities. The initiative is positioned as the third leg of the "speed‑to‑power" stool alongside generation and transmission.
DOI Reimburses TotalEnergies $928.3M to Pivot From U.S. Offshore Wind to Oil and Gas
TotalEnergies has signed settlement agreements with the U.S. Department of the Interior to relinquish its Carolina Long Bay and New York Bight offshore wind leases, receiving a total reimbursement of $928.3 million. The company will reinvest the full amount in U.S....
Battery Storage Moves Forward in Massachusetts as Barriers Fall
Massachusetts’ 2025 Duxbury Land Court decision extended the Dover Amendment’s Solar Energy Provision to standalone battery energy storage systems, removing a key zoning barrier. The ruling, reinforced by a new statewide BESS zoning bylaw, aligns permitting requirements for storage with...
POWERGEN 2027 Call for Content Is Open: Share What You’ve Built, Fixed and Learned
POWERGEN has opened its Call for Content for the 2027 conference, inviting engineers, plant managers, developers and executives to submit case studies and lessons learned by May 18, 2025. The event, scheduled for Jan 18‑21, 2027 in Salt Lake City, seeks practical, non‑commercial presentations...
Hoover Dam Could Lose Most of Its Power as Lake Mead Plummets
Lake Mead is receding at a rate faster than recent forecasts, threatening to drop below the intake levels of Hoover Dam’s turbines within the next few years. Federal data shows the lake could lose enough water to shut down most...
Venture Global Plans to Pursue More Short-Term Supply Deals as LNG Output Grows
Venture Global Inc. announced a short‑term contract to supply Vitol Inc. with 1.5 million tonnes per year of LNG starting in 2026. The agreement ties pricing to the Henry Hub natural‑gas index, offering a market‑linked price mechanism. Venture Global said the...
Calgary’s New Cleantech Research Centre Gets $4.25-million Boost From Federal Government
University of Calgary's newly formed Centre for Far‑From‑Equilibrium Nanostructured Cleantech Materials (CeFar) received a CAD 4.25 million (≈US 3.1 million) grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The funding will expand CeFar’s ten labs across the Schulich School of Engineering and Faculty of Science,...
Markets Underprice Prolonged Iran Conflict, Expect Sharp Correction
Month two. No de-escalation. More troops. Kharg Island occupation being planned. In my experience, markets that price short conflicts and get long ones reprice quickly and painfully. Kharg Island handles 90%+ of Iran's oil exports. The implicit assumption built into current market prices...
Satellites Spot Surge in Flaring After Iran Attack
War unleashes many horrors, including environmental ones. Satellites are starting to reveal the details. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-23/iran-war-missile-attack-on-ras-laffan-spurs-increased-flaring-satellites-show
Trump Delays Iran Energy Strikes as Confusion Swirls Over ‘Productive’ Talks
President Donald Trump announced a five‑day pause on planned strikes against Iran’s energy infrastructure, citing "productive conversations" with Tehran. The talks, led by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, reportedly involved Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad‑Bagher Ghalibaf, though Iran publicly denied...
Remembering IEEE Power & Energy Society Leader Mel Olken
Mel Olken, the inaugural executive director of the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) and founding editor‑in‑chief of Power & Energy Magazine, passed away at 92 after a career shaping power‑generation standards and professional development. He began as an electrical...
Heating Demand Return Likely Reduces Lower 48 Natural Gas Storage Surplus
U.S. natural‑gas inventories withdrew 43 billion cubic feet (Bcf) in the week to March 20, trimming the year‑over‑year surplus to about 101 Bcf. The lower‑48 storage balance is projected to end March at roughly 1,846 Bcf, still 68 Bcf above the 2010‑median but narrowing the...
Dept. Of Interior Bribes Oil Company $1B From Taxpayer Coffers to Stop Wind Power
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced a $928 million payment to French oil major TotalEnergies to relinquish two offshore wind leases in Carolina Long Bay and New York Bight, effectively halting planned wind projects. The agreement, unveiled by Interior Secretary Doug...
Global Oil Data Deck (March 2026)
Commodity Context released its March 2026 Global Oil Data Deck, highlighting the profound impact of the Iran‑War‑driven Hormuz stoppage on oil balances. Confirmed production shut‑ins are set to push the market into its largest deficit on record through March, while...
Iran Discovers Strait of Hormuz Leverage Is Unreliable
As with its nuclear program, Iran can not unlearnt new knowledge. And Tehran has learnt lots in the last 4 weeks. Iran assumed the Strait of Hormuz gave it a lever. But its effectiveness was unproven, and it didn’t know...
BlueOval SK Delays Layoffs at Kentucky Battery Plant
Ford and SK On are winding down their $11.4 billion BlueOval SK battery joint venture, prompting a delay in the planned layoffs at the Glendale, Kentucky plant. The initial cut of roughly 1,500 workers, slated for mid‑February, has been pushed back, with...
McDermott Vessels Earn ISO 50001 Certification for Offshore Energy Efficiency
McDermott has secured ISO 50001 energy‑management certification for three offshore vessels—DB32, DB50 and DLV2000—extending the standard previously applied to its fabrication yards. The 2025 certification required vessel‑specific baselines, real‑time fuel monitoring and a plan‑do‑check‑act framework verified by third‑party auditors. By embedding...
AI Anomaly Detection Gains Traction Offshore as Aker BP Deploys Cognite–NVIDIA Solution
Industrial software firm Cognite has embedded NVIDIA’s NV‑Tesseract time‑series AI models into its data platform, creating a combined solution for offshore anomaly detection. Aker BP is the first major operator to deploy the system, extending predictive‑maintenance monitoring to wells, heat...
SEAI Announces €20.5 Million in Government Funding for 34 National Energy Research Awards
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has awarded over €20.5 million (approximately $22.3 million) to 34 national energy research projects and fellowships for 2025. The funding, split between 25 RD&D projects and nine Energise Fellowships, targets offshore wind, green hydrogen, carbon...
Bloomberg Intelligence: Oil Dives on Trump Comments (Podcast)
Oil prices plunged more than 5% after President Donald Trump suggested his team was discussing an end to the Iran conflict, a claim Tehran denied. The comments temporarily eased geopolitical risk premiums, prompting a sharp sell‑off in crude futures. In...
CERAWeek's Chart Set to Dominate Energy Discussions
World's top energy executives are meeting in Houston for the annual CERAWeek conference this week. I hope this chart is the talk of town.
Global Natural Gas Prices Fall on Diplomacy Hopes, but LNG Disruptions Deepen
U.S. President Donald Trump announced a pause on attacks against Iranian energy assets, prompting a risk‑off wave that pushed April Nymex natural‑gas futures lower. The diplomatic de‑escalation eased Middle‑East tensions, further depressing global gas prices. At the same time, weak...
CPUC Backs Renewable Natural Gas Contract From Anaergia Facility
The California Public Utilities Commission has conditionally approved Anaergia’s SoCal Biomethane facility as the first renewable natural gas (RNG) supplier under Senate Bill 1440. The project co‑digests organic waste and municipal wastewater, converting up to 104,000 tons of waste per year...
TotalEnergies, Holcim Energise 31MW Belgian Floating Solar Plant
TotalEnergies and Holcim have commissioned a 31 MW floating solar photovoltaic plant on a rehabilitated quarry lake in Obourg, Belgium. The facility is expected to generate about 30 GWh of renewable electricity each year, which will be fully self‑consumed by Holcim’s industrial...
Tesla Patent Reveals Dual-Battery System for Trailer-Mounted Range Extender
Tesla filed patent US 2026/0048683 A1 describing a dual‑battery architecture that pairs an 800 V primary pack with a 400 V auxiliary pack, operating in three modes—SOE balancing, OCV matching, and parallel fast‑charging. The design offers two mounting options, including a trailer‑mounted auxiliary pack...
India in Talks with Global Partners for Safe Passage for Vessels Carrying Essential Commodities via Strait of Hormuz: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Parliament that India is actively negotiating with global partners to guarantee safe passage for vessels carrying oil, gas, fertilizers and other essential commodities through the Strait of Hormuz. The government is expanding its strategic petroleum...
SemiQ Launches QSiC Dual3 Family of 1200V Half-Bridge MOSFET Modules
SemiQ Inc. unveiled its QSiC Dual3 family, a line of 1200 V half‑bridge SiC MOSFET modules aimed at motor drives in data‑center cooling, grid‑scale energy storage converters, and industrial drivers. The series boasts ultra‑low RDS(on) values down to 1 mΩ and a...
Supertanker’s Signals Show It Crossed Hormuz From Iraq
A Bloomberg‑tracked oil supertanker, the Omega Trader, has successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first observed movement of Iraqi crude through the waterway since it was effectively closed at the start of the war. Managed by Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines,...
U.S. Swaps Offshore Wind Lease for Oil, Cites Security
In an effort to halt new offshore wind development, the U.S. announced today a deal with TotalEnergies to redirect the $1 billion the energy giant paid for an offshore wind lease and put it toward U.S. oil and gas projects....
Brent Crude Slides Below $100, Still Above Pre‑crisis Levels
CHART OF THE DAY: Brent crude oil has settled today below $100 a barrel (at $99.94 a barrel). As the chart shows, still way higher than pre-crisis levels, but also well below the peak reached during the early days of...
Why Shifting From AMI 2.0 to NextWave AMI Could Define the Future of Grid Intelligence
Utilities are accelerating the shift from legacy AMI 2.0 to the cloud‑native NextWave AMI, a move that promises granular, real‑time visibility across the distribution network. At the same time, battery energy storage systems are evolving from short‑term add‑ons to core...
Trump Admin Pays $1B to Halt Wind, Boost Oil Projects
This is about as sick as it gets. Trump Administration to Pay $1 Billion to Energy Giant to Cancel Wind Farms. In exchange, the French company TotalEnergies would invest in oil and natural gas projects in Texas and elsewhere. https://t.co/2VC6NSQv9N
IEA's Record Release Fails to Dent $110 Oil Price
IEA released 400 million barrels. The largest emergency release in history. Oil is STILL above $110. $112.76 Brent right now. When the biggest intervention ever can't move price, the supply damage is real. $XLE https://t.co/dls2Gube4l
Better Grid Utilization Could Save Customers $170B: Brattle Report
A new Brattle Group analysis for GridLab and the Utilize Coalition finds that improving grid utilization by 10% could lower customer electricity rates by about 3.4% and generate $110 billion to $170 billion in savings for U.S. utility customers over the next...
Breakthrough Institute Files Amicus Supporting Trump's Fossil Push
Just to demonstrate once and for all that the Breakthrough Institute (@TheBTI) is a climate-denying, pro-fossil/nuc group, here is their "Amicus Brief," authored by (led by Nordhaus & Trembath) supporting Trump's Executive Orders Unleashing Fossil Fuels https://t.co/l9xcTFk2qA
Jet Fuel Costs Double, Sparking Airline Crisis
Jet fuel prices have DOUBLED to over $200/barrel since the Iran war. Asian airlines and energy suppliers face MAJOR SHORTAGES. SIGNS OF A MAJOR CRISIS ARE APPEARING: Thousands of flights have already been canceled AIRLINES SHOULD SEND A BILL FOR DAMAGES TO...
EIA Sees Oil Glut Tightening in Wake of Iran War
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) trimmed its 2026 global oil‑glut forecast to 1.87 million barrels per day (bpd) in the March short‑term energy outlook, down from 3.05 mbpd projected in February. Quarterly projections show a modest surplus early in the year,...
Short‑Term Inflation Peaks as Oil Prices Stall
Non-consensus view here @fejau_inc @qthomp ... Feels like short term inflation expectations are likely making a top here. Obviously this has a lot to do with oil. If oil can't go any higher on the headlines now, time to pay attention.......
Airstrikes and Hormuz Closure Boost Gas Emissions
Gas infrastructure is spewing methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as airstrikes intensify and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. https://t.co/XysNBe1tfC
Spain Completes Testing of Europe’s Largest Research Vanadium BESS
Spain’s Fundación Ciudad de la Energía (Ciuden) has finished operational testing of a 1 MW/8 MWh vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) at its Cubillos del Sil technology centre. The €6.4 million (~$7.4 million) system, built by CYMI using H2 Inc technology, is the largest vanadium...
WTI Poised for Biggest Drop Yet, Still
Depending on where the WTI crude oil front month closes the day, we are looking at either the biggest single-day drop since Jun 23, 2025 or Mar 9, 2022. Either way...massive day...and yet still over 36% higher than the 200-day...
Oil Forecasts Diverge: $200 vs Under $75 per Barrel
7am: I have a new model that shows oil will be $200/barrel by spring break 9am: I have a new model that shows oil will be under $75/barrel by spring break
HV-MELA-BAT Showcases Megawatt Charging System
The HV‑MELA‑BAT consortium, led by Fraunhofer ISE, unveiled a megawatt‑scale charging system that combines a high‑efficiency DC/DC converter with a novel contact system. The isolating converter reaches a record‑breaking 99.26% efficiency and a volumetric power density of 9 kW per liter....
Middle East Conflict Spikes Gas Flaring, Boosting Emissions
The conflict in the Middle East appears to have forced some oil and gas companies to directly burn off more natural gas than usual at their facilities, releasing planet-warming pollution into the atmosphere https://t.co/HkXsn5239y
US Sharply Criticizes EU Methane Import Regulations
The US doubled down on its criticism of the EU's rules to curb methane emissions from its oil and gas imports https://t.co/9WCmSzRg2D
DRC’s Power Demand Boom Underscores Need for Massive Energy Investment
Electricity consumption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo jumped 18.2% in 2024, outpacing a 0.4% dip in generation caused by a technical shutdown at the Inga II hydropower plant. The surge reflects expanding industrial activity, especially in the Maluku Special...
Fed Reacts Differently to Oil Price Shocks
I used Claude to draw a chart that captures how I see the Fed's asymmetric reaction function towards oil. https://t.co/q9WcR7aCNC
WSJ Map Highlights Gulf’s Critical Energy Asset Damage
Nice map in the WSJ of the Critical Energy Assets hit in the Gulf, featured on today's Chartbook Top Links: https://t.co/2Hu6dMxKBE
EPA to Announce Biofuel Blending Quota Before Month-End
🇺🇸Reuters reporting just now that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin says U.S. biofuel blending quota announcement will be made "before the end of the month." This increases the odds that it coincides with the White House's celebration of agriculture event on Friday.
Oil Prices Fluctuate; Trade Real‑Time Predictions on Hyperliquid
$92… no $110… wait $75… now $87 a barrel Now trading — Crude Oil (Brent & WTI) Powered by @HyperliquidX 24/7 oil markets, users can trade monthly, weekly, and daily Predictions 🛢️ https://t.co/7TwArSgY9T