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:
Reblade Appoints Andrew Jamieson
Reblade, a specialist in wind‑farm decommissioning, has appointed Andrew Jamieson as a non‑executive director. Jamieson brings more than three decades of UK renewable‑energy experience, including senior roles at ScottishPower and leadership of the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult. The board addition is timed to support Reblade’s push to meet growing demand as aging wind assets reach end‑of‑life. The announcement precedes the All‑Energy conference in Glasgow on May 13‑14, highlighting the firm’s strategic focus on integrated decommissioning services.
BayWa R.e. Lands German BESS Deal
BayWa r.e. has secured an eight‑year operations contract with Denmark’s Scale Fund to run the Alfeld battery energy storage system (BESS) in Lower Saxony. The Alfeld project, slated for commercial operation in Q3 2026, will be Germany’s largest BESS with 137 MW of...
Great North Road Solar Nears Decision
Elements Green’s Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park, an 800 MW solar farm in Nottinghamshire, has completed its six‑month planning examination. The project, capable of powering roughly 400,000 UK homes, underwent two hearings, site inspections and extensive environmental reviews. The...
4 Big Energy Stories - 5.11.2026: Stop This Madness, Please
Oil prices jumped on Monday after President Donald Trump labeled Iran’s latest peace‑proposal response unacceptable, reigniting supply concerns as the Strait of Hormuz remained largely closed. Brent crude rose $2.70 to $103.99 a barrel and U.S. WTI climbed $2.24 to...
India to Shrink Zones Around Nuclear Reactors to Free up Land, Sources Say
India is set to shrink the 1‑km exclusion zones around its nuclear reactors, freeing up land for new units and private investment. The reduction could cut land requirements by half for large reactors and by two‑thirds for smaller ones, potentially...
Vicinay Marine, Tecnalia Develop Remote Offshore Mooring Corrosion Sensor
Vicinay Marine and Spain’s research centre Tecnalia have co‑created a sensor that remotely tracks corrosion on offshore mooring lines using electrical resistance measurements. The device provides real‑time section‑loss data, models degradation trends and predicts remaining service life. Validation took place...
Iran-Linked LPG Tanker Signals Indian Ownership Through Hormuz
The LPG tanker Tara Gas, previously linked to Iranian cargoes, is transiting the Strait of Hormuz while declaring Indian crew and ownership. Tracking data show it moving northeast from Dubai, fully laden with LPG on a Tehran‑approved route past Larak Island....
Podcast: Why Companies Can’t Keep Their Climate Commitments
The Insight Unpacked podcast examines why corporate climate pledges made after the Paris Agreement are routinely missed or abandoned. It highlights cases such as JBS’s net‑zero promise that was later dismissed, a small oil firm that back‑tracked after costly carbon‑capture...
Iran’s Alleged Million‑barrel Dump Is a Myth
Looking at photos of all suspected oil spills and slicks across the Gulf, around the Strait of Hormuz, and in the Gulf of Oman, anyone familiar with these issues will tell you the same: the claim that Iran is dumping...
SoftBank Banks on DC Power Needs
SoftBank Corp announced plans to build a battery business at its Osaka Sakai AI Data Centre, targeting the growing demand for reliable DC power in data centres and industrial sites. The company will develop zinc‑halogen cells with Cosmos Lab and...
Berg Propulsion to Supply Systems for India’s Green Tug Pair
Berg Propulsion won a contract to supply electric propulsion and integration technology for two all‑electric harbor tugs built under India’s Green Tug Transition Program. The 33.55‑meter vessels, slated for delivery in Q4 2027, will provide 60 tonnes of bollard pull and rely...
Presentation on Recent Trends in Electricity Markets
The author presented a three‑part analysis of European electricity markets, focusing first on the rapid expansion of solar generation and battery storage. The second segment examined how these renewables are reshaping day‑ahead market pricing, pushing prices lower and altering the...
Oil Prices Jump 2.4% as Hormuz Closure Fuels Global Supply‑Chain Shock
Brent crude surged 2.4% to $103.76 a barrel after the United States and Iran failed to secure a cease‑fire deal, leaving the Strait of Hormuz largely shut. The closure is driving a cascade of supply‑chain disruptions across oil, food and...
SoftBank Launches ¥100 Billion AI Batteries Business
SoftBank announced the launch of an AI‑batteries business targeting ¥100 billion (about $720 million) in revenue by fiscal 2030. The plan uses the former Sharp plant in Osaka to house an AI data centre, an AX factory for AI hardware, and a...
Hormuz, Hydrocarbons, and India: What the Current West Asia Conflict Means for Indian Oil and Gas Markets
The West Asia conflict has highlighted India’s heavy reliance on oil, LNG and LPG imports that flow through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint handling roughly a quarter of global seaborne oil trade. About 88% of India’s crude, 60% of...
Oil Market Broken: Unprecedented Shock, Bias, Possible Insider Trading
The oil market is broken, I told @Bloomberg TV. - Oil market players are in uncharted territory -- a supply shock of this duration and magnitude is unprecedented - There is an optimism bias, no doubt fuelled by misdirection ("imminent deal")...
EU Updates Carbon Market Benchmarks to Boost Competitiveness
The European Commission proposed updated benchmarks for its flagship carbon market to address concerns over the region’s declining competitiveness https://t.co/Rc7zvWTj8g
Europe’s Cumulative EV Investment Passes €200bn
Europe has now committed roughly $215 bn to its electric‑vehicle supply chain, a milestone tracked by New AutoMotive. Eighty percent of that capital was pledged in the past four years across gigafactories, OEM retooling, charging networks and raw‑material projects. However, only...
Chinese Refiners Ask to Curb Output Amid Rising Oil Costs
Lots of confusion out there about what is going on with China’s oil supply. Not sure if this adds any clarity though
PJM Interconnection Signals Power Curtailments for New Data Centers Amid Surge in Demand
PJM Interconnection warned that, because of rapid data‑center expansion, plant retirements and permitting delays, it could restrict electricity to newly connected large‑load customers during peak periods. The move targets a grid that serves more than 67 million people across the Midwest...
Iran Ceasefire Tested as Drone Sets Cargo Ship Aflame Off Qatar, Raising Gulf Shipping Risks
A drone strike ignited a cargo ship 23 nautical miles northeast of Doha, prompting the UAE and Kuwait to shoot down additional drones. The incident underscores the fragility of the month‑old Iran‑U.S. ceasefire and threatens oil flow through the Strait...
GE Vernova Announces Maraen Port of Nigg for Dogger Bank B and C Phases
GE Vernova has named Scotland’s Maraen Port of Nigg as the marshalling hub for the upcoming B and C phases of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm. The hub will store and prep GE’s Haliade‑X turbine components before they are shipped...
Saudi Aramco Q1 Profit Jumps 25% to $32.5 Bn as East‑West Pipeline Offsets Hormuz Blockade
Saudi Aramco reported a 25% rise in first‑quarter profit to $32.5 bn, driven by higher oil prices and volumes shipped through its East‑West pipeline. The surge comes as the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed due to the U.S.–Iran conflict, forcing...
Oil Jumps Over 4% After Trump Rejects Iran Cease‑Fire Proposal, Asian Markets Stumble
President Donald Trump called Iran's cease‑fire response "totally unacceptable," sending Brent crude up more than 4% to over $110 a barrel. The move reignited fears about the Strait of Hormuz, pushed WTI to $95, and rattled Asian stock markets, which...
The Drive to Deepen China-Africa Clean Tech Cooperation
China’s renewable sector is pivoting toward Africa, where solar panel exports rose 17% last year. The South‑South Cooperation Renewables Centre, launched by the China Renewable Energy Industries Association, facilitates matchmaking, technology showcases and skills transfer across 16 African nations. The...
Manulife Adds Energy Transition Funds, Winding Down Oil and Gas Portfolio
Manulife, the Canadian insurer, announced a strategic pivot toward energy‑transition investments, adding a suite of new funds managed by external general partners. The firm will concurrently wind down its oil and gas portfolio, aiming for a gradual reduction over the...
PowerX Inks $5.5 M Equivalent MOU with Montenegro's EPCG for 500 MWh BESS Rollout
PowerX, the Japanese battery‑energy‑storage specialist, signed a memorandum of understanding with Montenegro’s national utility EPCG to deliver roughly 500 MWh of BESS capacity over three years. The deal gives PowerX a foothold in Europe and adds a strategic enterprise customer as...
National Heat Pump Week to Debut Across the UK in October
The Heat Pump Association UK and Nineteen Group will launch the UK’s first National Heat Pump Week, running from 12 to 16 October 2026. The five‑day campaign targets more than one million installers, manufacturers, suppliers and built‑environment professionals through webinars, interviews, competitions...
Shell Selects New Wave Offshore for Orca Project in Santos Basin
Shell has appointed New Wave Offshore Energy to deliver marine warranty survey services for its Orca project in Brazil's pre‑salt Santos Basin. The Orca development is estimated to hold roughly 370 million barrels of recoverable resources. New Wave’s contract covers vessel...
Iloilo City Power Utility Introduces First Unmanned Substation
MORE Power, the sole electricity distributor in Iloilo City, launched the Philippines’ first fully unmanned 30‑megavolt‑ampere substation. The facility is controlled remotely from a central control centre using a sophisticated SCADA platform that monitors load flow, voltage and equipment health...
AI’s Energy Appetite Is Outpacing Deployment of AI-Based Climate Solutions: IEA
The International Energy Agency warns that AI’s electricity appetite is outpacing the sector’s use of AI to improve energy efficiency. AI‑focused data centres are projected to double global electricity demand from 485 TWh in 2025 to 950 TWh by 2030, while adoption...
Solar Tech Theft on the Rise in Chile
A survey by Chile’s solar association ACESOL reveals a sharp rise in nighttime thefts at photovoltaic installations, especially in the O’Higgins, Coquimbo, Maule and Metropolitan regions. Small‑ and medium‑scale distributed generation (PMGD) projects account for roughly 79% of the incidents,...
Floating Solar Offers Morocco’s Dams Antidote to Evaporation Loss
Moroccan researchers estimate that the nation’s 58 dams lose about 909 million cubic metres of water each year, a loss that could be curbed by floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems. Their techno‑economic analysis shows that covering just 1% of dam surfaces with...
Oil Traders Adding Back Supply Risk Premium
Oil prices jumped over 3% on May 10, with Brent climbing to about $104.50 a barrel as traders re‑added a supply‑risk premium following President Donald Trump’s dismissal of Iran’s peace overture. The comment revived concerns over the Strait of Hormuz, a...
What Has All This Back-and-Forth Climate Legislating Bought Us?
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was originally projected to cut U.S. greenhouse‑gas emissions 40‑50% below 2005 levels by 2035. A new joint paper by Watershed and the University of Maryland models the combined impact of the IRA and the partially...
Egypt Installs 800 MW of Solar in 2025
Egypt installed roughly 800 MW of solar in 2025, lifting cumulative capacity to about 2.9 GW. GlobalData projects annual additions surpassing 2 GW through 2028 and climbing to 3.5‑3.7 GW in the early 2030s, reaching 34.3 GW by 2035. Utility‑scale projects dominate, accounting for over...
Owning the Full Stack: What U.S. Storage Has to Figure Out Next
The article argues that U.S. energy storage is moving beyond cell chemistry competition to system‑level integration, where providers must deliver complete, domestically sourced hardware, software, cybersecurity, and service. Utilities now evaluate speed of deployment, reliability, supply‑chain resilience, and integration with...
LanzaTech & DTU to Open Biofoundry to Turn Carbon Emissions Into High-Value Products
U.S. synthetic‑biology firm LanzaTech has signed a two‑year agreement with Denmark’s Technical University (DTU) Bright hub to launch an AI‑powered C1 biofoundry. The facility will use engineered microbes to convert methane, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide from industrial waste streams...
Modern Billing Systems Put More Power Behind Utility Rates
Utilities are turning rate design into a cost‑reduction tool, using dynamic pricing to align demand with grid conditions. Although 80% of U.S. customers have advanced meters, only about 10% are on time‑varying rates because legacy billing systems cannot handle complex...
Resilient Grid Design Can Change What Happens when Storms Hit
Power outages cost the U.S. economy about $67 billion annually, with weather responsible for roughly 80 % of major events. Although utilities have improved crew coordination and monitoring, the distribution system’s legacy design limits resilience. New grid‑edge automation—fault‑discriminating reclosers, automated underground restoration,...
Ignoring Oil Loss Sparks Global Energy and Industry Crisis
Dumb & Dumber @tylercowen dismisses energy & material reality He ignores ~1 billion barrels permanently lost & no end to the Hormuz crisis Oil, LNG, fertilizer, helium & shipping disruptions cascade through AI, food, mining & industry https://t.co/DGt5mHDspW #Oil #Energy
Maize Emerges as India’s Top Ethanol Feedstock as Supplies Surpass 515 Crore Litres
India’s ethanol supplies hit roughly 515 crore litres in the first half of the 2025‑26 Ethanol Supply Year. Maize emerged as the leading feedstock, delivering about 182 crore litres and surpassing rice and damaged‑grain contributions. Grain‑based distilleries overall supplied 333 crore litres, while sugarcane‑juice distilleries added...
Seadrill’s Backlog Reaches $3.1B with $860M in New Rig Deals
Seadrill announced that its contract backlog has risen to roughly $3.1 billion, driven by $860 million of new rig deals signed since February. The new work includes a three‑year extension for the West Polaris drillship with Petrobras worth about $480 million, plus Gulf‑region extensions...
Gas Dominates European Power Prices, Driving Higher Costs
Where gas sets prices, prices are higher. r = 0.91 across European electricity markets. Italy & UK: gas sets prices 75-80% of hours, avg €90-115/MWh. Finland: 15% of hours, €42/MWh. More in next newsletter on whether renewables mean lower prices: https://t.co/In5lBaF2ox https://t.co/NWmfk3NfQh
US OFAC Warning to Financial Institutions Re Sanctions Risks of Dealing with China’s Teapot Refineries Importing and Refining Iranian Oil
The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has warned financial institutions that Chinese “teapot” refineries, especially in Shandong Province, remain high‑risk partners because they continue importing and refining Iranian crude. Since March 2025 OFAC has designated firms such as...
Global Biofuel Production up Sevenfold in the Last Two Decades - OWID
Global liquid biofuel production has surged sevenfold over the past 20 years, climbing from roughly 30 billion to 210 billion liters. The expansion has been led by Brazil’s sugarcane ethanol and the United States’ corn ethanol, spurred by renewable‑fuel mandates in the...
KKR, HASI-Backed Sustainable Infrastructure Platform CarbonCount Raises Over $500 Million
KKR and HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital expanded their CarbonCount Holdings 1 platform by issuing $508 million in senior unsecured notes, raising total investment capacity to nearly $5 billion. Launched in 2024 with $1 billion commitments from each partner, the platform previously raised $592 million in...
TRIG Commits to £400m Asset Disposal and Fee Cut Ahead of AGM
The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) announced a plan to dispose of assets valued at roughly £400 million (about $508 million) and to lower its annual management fee ahead of its June annual general meeting. The moves are designed to strengthen the trust’s...
Woodside’s Delayed Browse LNG Project Cost Estimate Climbs to $35B
Woodside Energy’s Browse LNG project, Australia’s largest untapped gas development, now carries a capital cost of A$48.7 billion (about $35.2 billion), up from A$27.3 billion in 2019 after a carbon‑capture and storage (CCS) module was added. The Deloitte‑commissioned assessment projects 3,068 full‑time jobs...
One LNG Transit, Zero Breakthrough in Hormuz Crisis
President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s reply to a U.S. peace proposal, keeping tensions high in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. Navy disabled two empty Iranian tankers, while Iran’s IRGC warned of reprisals and seized a Chinese‑owned vessel. A U.S.-owned bulk...