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:
Sanctions, Seizures, and the Limits of Maritime Visibility
In late 2025 and early 2026 the U.S. Coast Guard and allied forces seized three oil tankers—M/T Skipper, M/T Centuries and Bella 1—after months of multi‑source intelligence proved they were moving sanctioned cargo. The operation underscores a new enforcement paradigm: governments now have abundant satellite and AIS data, but must transform detections into legally admissible evidence. Sanctions designations exploded in 2025, with over 1,400 vessels listed, yet the gap between “flagged” and “actionable” remains the chief bottleneck. Attribution, not detection, is the decisive factor for future maritime interdictions.
As Data Centers Look to Rural New England, Maine Considers a Moratorium
Maine is weighing a moratorium on large data‑center projects as towns like Wiscasset and Lewiston pause or reject high‑cost proposals. State legislators introduced LD 307, which would form a coordination council and could halt developments over 20 megawatts until mid‑2028. The move...
Comstock Metals Approved as Authorized Solar Panel Recycler in California
Comstock Metals received approval from California’s Dept. of Toxic Substances Control to operate as a universal waste recycler for solar panels. The authorization adds a drop‑off facility in Kings County, enabling end‑of‑life panels to be collected locally and then shipped...
The Druzhba Pipeline: Europe’s Soviet-Era Oil Artery in the Crossfire of War and Sanctions
On 27 January 2026 a Russian Shahed drone struck Ukraine’s Brody pumping station, shutting the Druzhba pipeline’s southern branch that supplies Russian Urals crude to Hungary and Slovakia. The outage, now in its 27th day, has cut 60‑70 % of feedstock for MOL...
Cheap Chinese EVs: Attractive Until Companies Collapse
Cheap Chinese EVs are boon, until the company goes bust. "Neta Auto’s parent company filed for bankruptcy last year after failing to pay wages, stranding customers in Thailand without after-sales support. Singulato, Aiways, Byton, and Levdeo have all shut down." https://restofworld.org/2026/china-ev-exports-competition-price/
Indonesia Restricts Crude Palm Oil Exports Waste
Indonesia confirmed that the ban on exporting crude palm‑oil mill effluent (POME) and used cooking oil (UCO) will remain in place, prioritising domestic energy security and its emerging aviation‑fuel sector. President Prabowo framed palm‑based residues as strategic feedstocks for a...
China Tests S2000 Grid-Connected High-Altitude Wind Turbine
Chinese startup Lin Yi Yuan Chuan Energy Technology successfully tested its S2000 airborne wind power system, a megawatt‑class platform that ascended to roughly 2,000 meters and fed electricity into the local grid. The maiden grid test produced 385 kWh, marking the first...
High Costs and Few Benefits From California’s Proposed Sustainable Aviation Fuel Tax Credit
California’s 2026 budget proposes a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) tax credit that lets diesel excise taxpayers offset liability by selling SAF. The credit, capped at $2 per gallon, could shave 10‑20 % or more from the state’s diesel tax base, potentially...
Aveva Buys First Green Jet Fuel Certificates Five Years Early
Aveva announced it has completed its first major purchase of sustainable aviation fuel certificates (SAFcs) five years ahead of its World Economic Forum First Movers Coalition commitment. The certificates were bought from British Airways, which sources the fuel from renewable...
North America Adds Rigs Week on Week
North America’s weekly rig count rose by two to 775, driven by a two‑rig increase in Canada while the U.S. total held steady at 551. The U.S. rig mix includes 409 oil rigs, 133 gas rigs and nine miscellaneous units,...
Potential of Grid Enhancing Technologies for Transmission in Latin America and the Caribbean
The Inter‑American Development Bank’s new market study highlights how rapid renewable‑energy growth is overloading transmission networks across Latin America and the Caribbean. It introduces Grid‑Enhancing Technologies (GETs) as a suite of solutions that can boost line capacity, improve stability, and...
Private Investors Eye Africa's Electricity Transmission Opportunity
Private investors are entering Africa’s electricity transmission sector, marked by Uganda’s $50 million Amari project—the continent’s first independent transmission project (ITP) to begin construction. Similar public‑private partnerships are emerging in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa, where a new procurement programme has...
Uniper to Supply Gujarat with 0.5 MMtpa of LNG for 10 Years
Uniper SE has signed a ten‑year agreement to supply Gujarat State Petroleum Corp with 0.5 million metric tons per annum of LNG, with deliveries beginning in January 2028. The contract covers roughly one‑third of Gujarat’s gas demand, serving 2.3 million households and 20 000...
German Distillate Demand Falls on Higher Prices
German demand for middle distillates weakened in mid‑February as higher ICE gasoil futures pushed up prices. Heating oil volumes fell nearly 13% and diesel sales dropped about 12%, while gasoline saw a modest rise on increased travel. Supply remains ample,...
North Dakota Beats Venezuela; Venezuelan Oil Too Costly
#NABE2026 Dan Yergin Vice Chairman of S&P500 expert on energy market. N Dakota produces more oil than Venezuela. We have to question reserves in VZ - over half requires $70-$80 per barrel to produce. Too expensive. Skeptical about how...
Denmark Considers Extending N Sea Production Licences
Denmark announced it will start a process to consider extending one or more North Sea gas production licences beyond their 2042 expiry, potentially up to 2050. The move aims to bolster European energy security while still fitting within the 2020...
Ghana's Tema Refinery Says RFCC Due Online by May
Ghana's 45,000 b/d Tema Oil Refinery is conducting a major turnaround on its 14,000 b/d residual fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC), which has been offline since the plant’s restart at the end of December. The work is slated to finish by late April...
Sasol to Begin Reducing External Coal Purchases as Destoning Plant Raises Quality
Sasol’s newly operational destoning plant at Twistdraai has reduced coal impurity to about 12% sinks, enabling the company to shift from external purchases toward higher‑quality internal supply. The firm aims to lift internal coal output to 28‑30 million tonnes in FY2026...
Kenya’s BasiGo Enters Fixed-Route Commuting Once Targeted by Swvl
Kenyan electric‑bus startup BasiGo is piloting a scheduled, fixed‑route commuter service in Nairobi, integrating electric mid‑size buses with existing matatu cooperatives. The three‑bus trial offers nonstop links between estates and business hubs at KES 150‑200 per seat, with 80% of...
Market Open: Gas Futures Climb Ahead of March Expiration as Weather Drives Trade
Natural gas futures for March surged early Monday as cold‑weather forecasts sparked heightened demand and a short‑covering rally. Prices tested key resistance levels ahead of the contract's Thursday expiration, prompting analysts to warn of increased volatility. While the immediate upside...
‘Buy American’ Shifts to ‘Don’t Buy Chinese’ for Government Solar Projects
The federal government’s solar procurement is pivoting from a broad "Buy American" stance to a targeted "Don’t Buy Chinese" approach. The 2021 Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act still requires 55% domestic content, but agencies frequently seek waivers when U.S.-made...
LLNL: Advanced Simulation and Modeling Pave a Path Forward for Single-Crystal Battery Materials
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers published a comprehensive review in Chemical Reviews describing how advanced, physics‑based simulation can decode the complex relationships among processing, structure, and performance of single‑crystal battery materials. By spanning atomistic to cell‑level scales, the multiscale models...
Fox ESS Releases Hybrid Inverters for Commercial PV
Fox ESS has launched the H3‑Pro series, a line of five three‑phase hybrid inverters targeting commercial photovoltaic installations. The models handle 30‑50 kW PV input and 15‑30 kW AC output, support up to 200% PV oversizing, and can be paired with two CQ6...
Interior Revokes Dalton Corridor Withdrawals
The U.S. Interior Department issued Public Land Order 7966, revoking two federal withdrawals that covered roughly 2.1 million acres along the Dalton Highway corridor. The revocation removes the long‑standing restrictions, allowing Alaska to select the lands under its remaining statehood entitlement....
Tanker Carrying Russian Crude Heads for Cuba as US Pressure Grows
A Hong Kong‑flagged tanker loaded with Russian diesel used offshore ship‑to‑ship transfers near Cyprus and repeatedly altered its AIS data to conceal a planned delivery to Cuba. The vessel’s draft increase and route changes suggest deliberate evasion of U.S. sanctions that...
Peak Capacity Shortage Drives Soaring Electricity Rates
We have been talking about peak electricity demand for several years. There is a smart way to solve it and a "vibes" way to solve it. We won't have a lack of annual energy, we have a lack of peak...
Enel Adds 830 MW US Solar‑wind Portfolio
Enel acquires 830MW US PV and wind portfolio, ups renewables investment #energysky -- via pv-tech: https://t.co/3AfV5Qymhs
Contested Tasmania Wind Project Secures Federal Green Tick After Six-Plus Years in EPBC Queue
Ark Energy’s St Patricks Plains wind farm in Central Tasmania has secured federal EPBC approval after more than six years in the assessment queue. The 300 MW project, now approved with conditions, will proceed to construction in early 2027 and aim for...
Oil & Gas Consolidation Accelerates; KNTK Near Deal Valuation
Consolidation in Oil & Gas keeps accelerating - $KNTK is reportedly being approached by $OXY-backed $WES. - Delaware Basin pipeline operator is up 10%+ on the news and even more ytd - Upside looks limited, any deal likely prices near the current mcap....
US Policy Shifts Risk Turning Economy Into Petrostate
The US risk drifting toward petrostate economics. Regulatory rollbacks and clean energy policy U-turns aren’t just about climate — they affect jobs, industrial competitiveness, health and investment certainty. https://t.co/6Jn5YrWN68
ABL Gets Busy at Egyptian Gas Field
Energy consultancy ABL has been awarded marine warranty survey services for Phase 4 of the Kamose offshore gas field in Egypt. The contract covers technical review, approval of documentation, DP trials, and on‑site witnessing of transportation and installation for three new...
Local Content Rules Halve EV Subsidy Effectiveness
New @nberpubs: "Industrial Policies for Multi-Stage Production: The Battle for Battery-Powered Vehicles" https://t.co/DX6XB7e1R0 "local content requirements... drive up costs and reduce subsidy uptake, undoing more than half of the EV adoption stimulus coming from pure buyer subsidies" 😲
Celsius Seals Samsung Heavy LNG Carrier Order
Celsius Tankers, a subsidiary of Denmark’s Celsius Shipping, has placed an order for a 180,000‑cubic‑metre LNG carrier with South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries. The contract, valued at roughly KRW 368 billion ($255 million), lifts Celsius’s LNG fleet to 24 vessels. The new ship...
Mercedes-Benz Advances E-Mobility Offensive for Commercial Vehicles with New eArocs 400
Mercedes‑Benz Trucks unveiled the eArocs 400, a battery‑electric construction truck equipped with a 414 kWh LFP pack and up to 240 km range, after completing winter tests down to –20 °C. The vehicle features a 380 kW continuous, 450 kW peak drivetrain, 400 kW CCS2 fast‑charging, and...
European Union Members Make Mixed Progress in Implementing Energy Storage Strategies
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre report shows EU Member States are progressing unevenly on energy‑storage implementation. Only Spain, Greece, Hungary and Latvia have set quantified 2030 storage targets, and just four countries have formal national storage strategies. While Europe’s...
Record Year 2025 for Renewable Energy in Germany: Boom in Wind and Solar Tenders
Germany’s Federal Network Agency announced a record‑breaking 2025 renewable tender round, with 14,430 MW of on‑shore wind capacity tendered and 14,445 MW awarded, and ground‑mounted solar reaching 7,220 MW. The wind tenders were oversubscribed by more than 9,300 MW, while rooftop PV awards hit...
€2.6m Research Ireland Funding to Develop Breakthrough Tech in Renewable Gas and Energy Innovation
The Irish government, via Minister James Lawless, has allocated €2.6 million in phased funding to five research consortia tackling renewable gas production, energy‑system integration, and AI‑enabled gas‑network diagnostics. The Research Ireland‑Gas Networks Ireland Innovation Challenge pairs universities with industry experts to...
Developer Dumps 166-Turbine Wind Project Proposed for Queensland’s Whitsunday Region
Renewable Energy Partners (REP) has cancelled its 900 MW Proserpine wind project in Queensland’s Whitsunday region, which would have featured 166 turbines and a 100 MW, four‑hour battery. The development had reached the penultimate stage of federal EPBC assessment but was stalled...
Coal Miner Cops “Substantial Penalty” For Polluting Blue Mountains Waterways
The New South Wales EPA has ordered Centennial Coal to pay $815,000 after the company discharged untreated, metal‑laden water into the Wollangambe River near the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. The penalty includes a $543,500 court fine, $185,000 in investigation costs...
Redefining BESS Bankability in 2026: From Installed Capacity to Operational Performance
European battery‑storage projects are moving beyond headline megawatt figures toward proven operational performance. Lenders and investors now demand transparent, audited revenue data from live assets rather than relying on contracted capacity alone. Optimisation platforms, such as Enspired’s, are becoming the...
Fortescue’s Green Iron Bet in a €300 per Tonne Iron World
Fortescue Metals Group is moving its low‑temperature, hydrogen‑free electrochemical iron process from the laboratory to a pilot plant in the Pilbara. The technology reduces iron ore directly in an alkaline slurry using electricity, allowing continuous production of metallic iron from...
Stock Market Week 08/26: RENIXX Stable Above 1,200 Points - Year-to-Date Gain Climbs to 10.2% - Solaredge: Higher Revenue, Reduced...
The RENIXX renewable‑energy index stayed above the 1,200‑point psychological level last week, posting a 10.2% gain year‑to‑date. Weekly leaders were solar‑focused firms such as First Solar (+10.1%) and Solaredge (+7.2%), while Meridian Energy and others fell. Solaredge reported a 71%...
U.S. Gas Exports Surpass Domestic Use in 2025
UNITED STATES exported an average of 14.8 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) by tanker and other 9.4 bcf/d by pipeline during the first eleven months of 2025. Total exports exceeded the combined consumption by households (12.0 bcf/d) and offices,...
State’s 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program Hits 139 Installs, 23 MWh of Storage
Victoria’s Labor government’s 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program has now installed 139 battery units, delivering 23 MWh of storage across 60 local government areas. The latest installation at Truganina Community Centre will save roughly $20,000 annually for the facility. The rollout supports...
Waaree, ZFI Sign 2.5 MW Electrolyser-as-a-Service Agreement; Inks MoU for 50 MW Green Hydrogen Expansion
Waaree Clean Energy Solutions and Zero Footprint Industries have signed an electrolyser‑as‑a‑service agreement for a 2.5 MW alkaline unit in Uttar Pradesh, with Waaree handling design, installation, ownership and operation for 15 years. The system, built at Waaree’s Gujarat plant, will generate...
Ukraine Says Cyberattacks on Energy Grid Now Used to Guide Missile Strikes
Russian cyber actors targeting Ukraine’s energy grid have shifted from causing immediate outages to gathering intelligence that guides missile strikes. By mapping facilities, tracking repair crews, and monitoring recovery rates, they provide real‑time data that improves strike accuracy. The number...
GSMA Launches Innovation Fund to Accelerate Green Transition Through Mobile Technology
The GSMA has launched a global Innovation Fund offering £100,000‑£200,000 grants to small and growing enterprises that use mobile and digital technologies to accelerate the green transition in low‑ and middle‑income countries. The fund targets solutions that expand clean‑energy access,...
Korean-Dutch Partnership Pursuing Hydrogen Retrofit for Feeder Vessel
South Korean firm Vinssen and Dutch engineering company MANA have signed an MOU to develop a hydrogen fuel‑cell retrofit for an 800 TEU feeder vessel operating in the Baltic and Northern Europe. The partnership will first conduct a technical feasibility study...
Are Solid State Batteries Finally Here?
Donut Lab has engaged Finland’s VTT Technical Research Centre to independently measure the performance and key characteristics of its solid‑state battery prototype. VTT will conduct the tests, document procedures, and publish full reports alongside detailed video walkthroughs. The results are...
Nashik Consumers Oppose MSEDCL’s New Restriction on Rooftop Solar Power Generation
MSEDCL announced a new rule that caps rooftop solar installations in Nashik based on a household's annual electricity consumption rather than its sanctioned load. The change threatens to limit consumers' ability to fully utilize the PM Suryaghar subsidy and could...