Today's Energy Pulse
Scania pilots megawatt‑scale V2G for heavy‑duty electric trucks
Scania demonstrated one of the first vehicle‑to‑grid systems for heavy‑duty electric trucks using the Megawatt Charging System (MCS). The pilot showed bi‑directional power flow, allowing trucks parked at depots to feed electricity back to the grid, with real‑time communication between the truck, charger and energy‑management platform enabling dynamic charging and discharging. The test marks a step toward integrating large‑capacity EVs into grid balancing.
Also developing:
New Technique Radically Boosts Biogas Yields From Sewage Sludge
Washington State University researchers unveiled the Advanced Pretreatment and Anaerobic Digestion (APAD) system, which triples biogas yields from sewage sludge and slashes disposal costs by nearly half. The two‑stage process combines high‑temperature wet oxidation with a novel methanogenic bacterium, Methanothermobacter wolfeii BSEL, that converts CO₂ in the gas stream into additional methane. Results show a 200% increase in renewable natural‑gas output and an 83% carbon‑conversion efficiency, far surpassing the sub‑40% rates of conventional digestion. The team aims to scale the technology, projecting potential billions of dollars in annual U.S. savings.
Iraqi Fuel Trucks Cross Syria, Arrive in Spain
Iraqi fuel oil, transported by trucks to the Syrian port of Banyas and then loaded onto an oil tanker, has now reached its final destination in Spain. Hundreds of trucks traveled daily through the western Iraqi desert and across Syria to...
ADB Launches $70bn Push to Connect Asia's Power Grids and Digital Networks
The Asian Development Bank announced a $70 billion initiative to modernize Asia’s energy and digital infrastructure by 2035. The program will fund cross‑border power‑grid interconnections and create an “APAC Digital Highway” that expands broadband access across the region. By linking electricity...
Jet Fuel Exports Hit 10‑Year Low, Europe Looks to U.S. Supply
Global seaborne jet fuel exports dropped to a ten‑year seasonal low of 1.1 million barrels per day in April, a 630,000 bpd decline from a year earlier. With Middle‑East shipments stalled and prices for Jet A‑1 up 50%, European airlines are evaluating...
JUSNL Move to Curb Power Cuts in 7 Districts
Jharkhand Urja Sancharan Nigam Ltd (JUSNL) has commissioned a 220 kV Govindpur‑Dumka single‑circuit line‑in‑line‑out (LILO) at the North Karanpura Transmission Ltd (NKTL) substation, unlocking up to 450 MW of power for the state. The line currently supplies about 103 MW to Dumka and...
Terrestrial Energy to Power Riot Platforms' Data Centers with Four 390 MW Molten‑Salt Reactors
Terrestrial Energy signed a deal to install four 390 MW Generation IV molten‑salt reactors at Riot Platforms' upcoming data‑center sites, providing a total of 4 GW of low‑carbon power. The partnership aims to meet soaring AI compute demand while reducing reliance on fossil‑fuel...
Week in Review: Big Oil Bets, Jobs and Tariffs
In this episode, Reuters reporters expose roughly $7 billion in coordinated oil futures trades that timed market moves around geopolitical events, prompting regulatory scrutiny. They also discuss President Trump's renewed tariff threats on EU autos and the legal pushback that limited...
European Stocks Slip as US‑Iran Strait Clash Sparks Market Divergence
European equity markets fell on Friday as fresh US‑Iran clashes in the Strait of Hormuz heightened geopolitical risk, while US indices surged to fresh highs on strong jobs data. The split underscores a growing divergence between European and American market...
China's Crude Imports Fall 20% as Hormuz Shipments Stall, Gas Down 13%
China’s April crude oil imports slipped 20% year‑on‑year to 38.47 million tons and natural‑gas imports fell 13% to 8.42 million tons as shipments through the Strait of Hormuz stalled. The decline follows a series of U.S. strikes on Iranian‑flagged tankers and Tehran’s...
U.S. Navy Disables Two Iranian Tankers, Heightening Strait of Hormuz Tensions
U.S. Central Command confirmed that an F/A‑18 Super Hornet struck and disabled two Iranian‑flagged tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, enforcing a blockade of Iran’s ports. The action provoked Iranian retaliation, strained the nascent cease‑fire and put the...
Brent Crude Slides to $70 a Barrel as Hormuz Tension Extends, Fitch Warns of Prolonged Disruption
Brent crude fell to $70 a barrel, the lowest level since early 2024, as Fitch Ratings warned that the Strait of Hormuz disruption could last longer than initially expected. The price slide follows a recent peak of $126 per barrel...
Sungrow Expert Christos Tsegkis: “The Combination of PV, Storage, and Charging Is Highly Attractive”
Sungrow, a Chinese power‑electronics pioneer, is leveraging its Munich hub to roll out a full suite of EV‑charging solutions across Europe. Its portfolio now spans AC wallboxes from 22 kW to 3.5 MW, DC chargers up to 480 kW, and the ultra‑fast ChargeStack 1000...
Buy Short‑Dated Refined‑Product Futures Amid Tight Global Oil Stocks
GS: global oil stocks at ~98 DoD; rapid depletion, regional concentration and naphtha/LPG/jet shortages risk local fuel runs. Trade: buy short-dated refined-product futures. — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA. More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
Grid Operators May Reduce Renewables Penetration if Data Center Growth Continues Unchecked, Says ENTSO-E
The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO‑E) warned that unchecked data‑center growth could compel grid operators to limit renewable energy penetration across Europe. In an 8 May report, ENTSO‑E highlighted the flexibility potential of data centres but stressed...
CPC to Leave Gasoline, Diesel Prices Unchanged for Next Week
State‑run oil supplier CPC Corp. announced a price freeze for Taiwan’s gasoline and diesel for the week of May 12‑17, keeping retail rates at NT$32.4, NT$33.9 and NT$35.9 per liter for 92‑, 95‑ and 98‑octane gasoline and NT$31.0 for premium diesel....
First Bus Uses Electric Bus Depots to Support the Grid
First Bus has launched the UK’s first smart‑charging trial for its electric‑bus fleet, beginning at a Glasgow depot and slated to expand to Great Yarmouth. Partnering with Optimo Energy, the trial uses a platform that synchronises charging with real‑time grid...
Back These Energy Funds – Big Winners From the Gulf Crisis
The Guinness Sustainable Energy Fund, a £219 million (~$278 million) vehicle, delivered an 18% return in 2025 after a three‑year slump, driven by a diversified portfolio across equipment, EVs, batteries, and power‑generation firms. The International Energy Agency forecasts electricity demand to rise...
Argentina Sees Strong Growth in Solar Distributed Generation Amid Electricity Price Hikes
Argentina’s distributed generation (DG) market is booming, with over 4,000 user‑generators and 143 MW installed by March 2026, up sharply from just 67 in 2019. The surge is driven by recent electricity tariff hikes, historic lows in inverter and panel prices,...
Iran's Redundant Networks Test Others' Endurance, Not Its Survival
Most observers treat Hormuz as Iran's economic on-off switch Iran has prepared for this moment for 47 years It has redundancy everywhere: Land routes, shadow trade, barter, smuggling, informal finance. These have trade offs but the real question isn't “Can Iran survive?” but “Who...
Solar PV Accounted for 29% of Electricity Generation in Chile in March, with Instantaneous Peaks Reaching 75%
Chile’s solar photovoltaic output reached 2,141 GWh in March 2026, representing 28.7% of total electricity generation and hitting an instantaneous peak of 75.1% on March 14. Operational solar capacity stood at 11.9 GW, with another 2.8 GW under construction, while battery energy storage systems...
Spain Supports 4.2 GW / 8 GWh of Pumped-Hydro Storage with €165 Million
Spain will soon finalize a €670 million ($789 million) allocation under its Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, with €165 million earmarked for seven reversible pumped‑hydro storage projects. The Boralmac II program will add more than 4.2 GW of power capacity and over 8 GWh of storage...
U.S. Solar Panel Manufacturers Need to Learn to Solder
The Intertek CEA Global PV Manufacturing Quality Report 2026 reveals stark yield gaps between U.S. and Chinese solar panel factories, with some U.S. sites delivering as low as 30% yield versus near‑100% in mature Chinese plants. Soldering defects dominate the...
Bolivia Presents New Law to Boost Renewables, Private Investments
Bolivia’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy has submitted a draft Electricity and Renewable Energies Law for formal review, launching technical, legislative and public consultations. The proposal retains the state‑owned utility ENDE as system operator but places it in a competitive...
New Wind‑Storage Beats Fossil Costs, Proving Bankruptcy
In the UK, Germany, and Spain, building brand-new wind + storage is cheaper than simply paying for the fuel and maintenance of existing fossil plants >Storage costs fell 93% since 2010 >New gas generation is now >$100/MWh >Firm wind + storage in Germany...
China's Wind Farms: Stunning Landscapes of Renewable Power
A bunch of extremely beautiful pictures of wind farms in China - all photographs by Weimin Chu https://e360.yale.edu/digest/china-renewable-photo-essay
Home Batteries: A ‘Gamechanger’ for Cutting Energy Bills?
UK households are confronting a surge in energy bills as Middle‑East conflicts push wholesale prices higher, prompting a wave of green retrofits. Falling home‑battery costs—down 90% since 2010—are seen as the key lever to maximise savings from heat pumps, solar...
Alarm Bells as Eskom Power Station Reliability Drops
South African utility Eskom reported its energy availability factor (EAF) at 60.29% for the financial year to date, up from 56.48% a year earlier but still below 2021 levels. Unplanned outages fell by 964 MW, bringing the unplanned capacity loss factor...
Energy Expo Highlights Solar Expansion, AI-Driven Energy Sys
The Uttar Pradesh Energy Expo 2026 showcased the state’s aggressive push to scale solar power and embed artificial‑intelligence‑driven energy management across its grid. Policymakers and industry leaders discussed utility‑scale solar parks, rooftop solar under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, and agrivoltaic models linked...
Georgia Public Service Commission Must Protect Ratepayers in Fuel Cost Hearings
The Georgia Public Service Commission held two days of hearings where clean‑energy groups pressed the regulator to curb the way Georgia Power passes fuel costs onto customers. Advocates argued that 100% of fuel expenses are currently borne by ratepayers, creating...
NASA Spots Hormuz Fires; Trump's Denial Untrustworthy
NASA satellites are detecting fires in Hormuz after tonight’s clashes. Iran claims it hit U.S. carriers Trump denies any damage The facts are still unclear—but I'd bet the damage is more serious than Trump claims. That's because the only clear fact is that...
Oil Ticks Higher as Gulf Clashes Threaten to Derail Ceasefire
Oil prices edged higher on May 9 as Brent crude rose 1.2% to about $101 a barrel, even though the benchmark posted a 6% weekly decline. The move reflects trader anxiety that fresh clashes between the United States and Iran...
Post Polls, Govt Faces Tough Fuel Price Call
India’s government is shouldering roughly ₹1,000 cr ($120 m) a day in crude‑price subsidies as Brent hovers above $100 per barrel, a stance that is becoming fiscally untenable. With the West Asia crisis keeping the Straits of Hormuz effectively closed, India’s 5.33 million‑tonne...
Contractors Submit Bids for Saudi Gas Processing Plant Project
Contractors have begun submitting bids for the Khafji gas processing plant, a key component of three multibillion‑dollar projects targeting gas from Saudi Arabia's Dorra field. The venture is being driven by subsidiaries of Saudi Aramco and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, signaling...
Middle East Oil Producers Eye S. Korean Reserve Bases Amid Hormuz Crisis
South Korea’s nine underground petroleum reserve bases, with a combined 146 million‑barrel capacity, are attracting interest from Gulf oil producers seeking to park crude amid the prolonged Strait of Hormuz blockade. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE and others face full storage...
Con Edison Launches $2 Billion At‑the‑market Equity Program to Fund Subsidiaries
Con Edison unveiled a $2 billion at‑the‑market (ATM) equity program, allowing the utility to sell common shares on the NYSE as needed. The move follows a $776 million forward‑sale settlement in Q1 2026 and aims to fund subsidiaries, capital projects and general corporate...
EPA Defends Axing $7 Billion Solar Program
Twenty-three states have asked a Washington federal judge to block the EPA’s abrupt termination of the $7 billion Solar for All program, which was designed to deliver solar installations to more than 900,000 low‑income households. The EPA, citing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,...
Fuel Shortage Spikes Texas Gas Prices, Looming Downturn
25% of the fuel that has kept prices here in the US artificially lower is now vanished from the market...gas has jumped .20 a week here in Texas since the war started. Its bout to ve a rough fall
Markets View Iran War as Ongoing Demand Drag
WTI fell 6% this week and 12-month spreads fell 25%. Markets now see the Iran war as a persistent drag, not an imminent systemic collapse They increasingly expect demand destruction, not growth, to rebalance the market. #WTI #OilMarkets #Backwardation #DemandDestruction #EnergyCrisis #Brent...
Spain's Power Prices Plunge to Europe's Cheapest
Spain’s power prices have flipped. A decade ago, Spain was a solar cautionary tale & high-cost market. Now among Europe’s cheapest. Gas decline is part of the story, but not the whole picture. More tomorrow: https://t.co/In5lBaF2ox https://t.co/CYOLNd8woh
China’s Refined Fuel Exports Hit Decade Low Despite HK Exemption
China's exports of diesel, gasoline, jet fuel other refined fuels fell to the lowest level in a ~decade in April thanks to the export ban. That probably understates the contraction because the trade figures include HK, which is exempted from...
WA Budget Funds Hardware, Skips Decarbonisation Policy
Western Australian Budget 2026-27 Summary: Infrastructure Yes, Climate Action No WA Government budget delivers impressive renewable energy hardware but dodges the policy framework needed for real decarbonisation. Build up, not out Build renewables + batteries And EV networks https://t.co/N6WtLleeto
French IPP Deploys Mini Solar Farms Using Low‑Voltage Extensions
French IPP building mini solar farms via low-voltage extension #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/GEahsVb1i7
China’s Refineries Cut Throughput, Using Underground Storage
Why aren’t China’s onshore crude inventories collapsing? Because Chinese refineries have throttled back crude throughput, says @HFI_Research They’re drawing refined product inventories and crude from UNDERGROUND storage. The system is rebalancing flows, not operating normally. #China #OilMarkets #EnergyCrisis #Refining #CrudeOil #OilStorage #Macro...
US Battery Storage Operators Confront Rising Market Complexity
US BESS operators face growing complexity as markets mature #energysky -- via Energy Storage News: https://t.co/0Oj3H6jfaj
Energy Prices Surge Over 50% Since New Year
JUST IN: Since January 1, 2026, prices have increased for gasoline by 103%, heating oil by 84%, Brent crude oil by 66%, crude oil by 66%, European gas by 56%, and coal by 23%.
Australia’s Top Utility-Scale PV Asset Sets New Benchmark
The best performing utility-scale PV asset in Australia #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/J9ZOXoPf5A https://t.co/IjOsQetsXN
Blocking Iranian Tankers Is Unrealistic, Like Policing Tiny Waters
It’s not stupid to “let” Iranian tankers get thru the blockade if you’re powerless to stop them @BrettErickson28 This is not like guarding a canal. It’s closer to trying to police a small U.S. state’s worth of water https://t.co/o7uBWIKrky
US Freedom‑of‑Navigation Test in Hormuz Avoids Casualties
Calling the destroyers “bait” is click bait @MarioNawfal They were a visible test of U.S. freedom-of-navigation claims No U.S. ships were hit No U.S. personnel were reported killed The attacks were intercepted Not a major Iranian escalation. #Hormuz #Iran #Oil #Geopolitics
Battery Landscape Transforms Beyond Common Expectations
Batteries: The game has changed – and it’s not what you think #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/DyHILEKWTQ
Landholder‑led 4‑hour Battery Cleared in Four Weeks
Landholder-led 4-hour big battery gets federal environmental all-clear in just over four weeks #energysky -- via Renew Economy: https://t.co/XSV48Y7wA8 https://t.co/acEI1zQkag