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:
We Can’t Ignore Hydrogen’s Potential in Construction
The UK construction sector burns over 1 billion litres of diesel each year, with heavy non‑road machinery responsible for a disproportionate share of emissions. Full electrification of large excavators and dump trucks is hampered by battery weight, charging downtime, and limited site power, prompting a shift toward hydrogen‑based power. Dual‑fuel systems can blend hydrogen with diesel now, while dedicated hydrogen engines and fuel‑cells promise a diesel‑free future, as demonstrated on projects like the Lower Thames Crossing. The key hurdle is scaling low‑carbon hydrogen production and aligning supply with construction demand.
1GWh+ of BESS Progressed Across EU by Re:cap, Flower, Goldbeck, Tavion, LONGi, Teos and SPP
Across the EU, more than 1 GWh of battery‑energy‑storage‑system (BESS) capacity moved into construction, financing or operation this week. re:cap is launching a 95 MW/220 MWh project in Finland, while Goldbeck Solar received notice to proceed on two 100 MW/300 MWh German sites. Sweden’s Flower...
Chinese Team Sustains Tokamak Plasma for Over One Minute, a Fusion Milestone
A research team led by Prof. Xu Guosheng at the Hefei Institute of Physical Science sustained plasma for more than one minute in the EAST tokamak, demonstrating a new regime that controls divertor heat while maintaining high‑performance H‑mode without edge‑localized...
How Well Can EVs Handle the Heat — and the Cold? AAA Put Them to the Test
AAA’s latest testing shows extreme temperatures dramatically affect electric‑vehicle range. In a heated chamber (95 °F) EVs lost about 8.5 % of their range, while a cold chamber (20 °F) slashed range by roughly 39 %. Compared with AAA’s 2019 study, heat‑related loss improved...
Probe Into Offshore Rig Incident Uncovers Serious Breaches
Norway’s offshore safety regulator Havtil has issued a compliance order to Odfjell Drilling after a lifting‑operation accident on the Deepsea Nordkapp semi‑submersible rig injured a deck operator on October 8, 2025. The 2.67‑tonne logging tool swung uncontrolled, breaking the worker’s arm, ribs...
Vessel Sector Deep Dive: WTIVs
Intelatus Global Partners’ new analysis shows the offshore wind turbine and foundation installation market grappling with shifting demand as Europe, the EAPAC region and emerging markets push capacity growth while political and economic headwinds tighten vessel utilization. By 2035 global...
Morocco Seeks Financing for $25bn Gas Pipeline
Morocco’s state‑owned oil, gas and mineral agency, Onhym, is preparing a fundraising campaign to secure financing for a $25 bn, 6,900 km gas pipeline that will transport West African gas to the Mediterranean and link to Europe. The Nigeria‑Morocco Gas Pipeline will...
Proposed $2bn US-Canada Oil Pipeline Makes Headway as President Trump Signs Approval Permit
President Donald Trump signed a presidential permit for a $2 billion cross‑border oil pipeline proposed by South Bow and Bridger Pipeline. The project would revive 150 km of idle Canadian pipe and add a 645‑mile U.S. segment from the border to Guernsey,...
Energy NewsBeat Podcast: California Update With Mike Ariza and Assembly Member Stan Ellis
California faces an imminent fuel shortage as key refineries shut down and Asian tanker deliveries have stalled since March, leaving the state with only three to seven days of fuel reserves. Imports now supply over 40% of California’s gasoline, diesel...
Inventories Acting as Shock Absorber of Global Oil System
J.P. Morgan analysts say global oil inventories are now the primary shock absorber amid war‑driven supply disruptions. The world entered 2026 with 8.4 billion barrels in storage, 6.6 billion on‑shore and 1.8 billion afloat, but only about 0.8 billion barrels are readily usable without...
Petrol and Diesel Rates Could Rise in Near Future. Here’s Why
India’s four‑year freeze on retail petrol and diesel prices is under pressure as global crude oil surged to $126 per barrel, well above the $110 threshold. State‑owned oil firms report losses of roughly ₹20 ($0.24) per litre on petrol and...
Jan De Nul Installs Export Cables for Taiwan’s Fengmiao 1 Offshore Wind Farm
Jan De Nul has finished laying two high‑voltage export cables—45 km and 44 km long—for the Fengmiao 1 offshore wind farm located 35 km off Taichung, Taiwan. The cables are now wet‑stored offshore while the offshore substation jacket is prepared. The next phase will...
Google Teams with OG&E to Power Three New Oklahoma Data Centers
Google has secured a deal with Oklahoma Gas & Electric to power three upcoming data centers in Muskogee and Stillwater. The agreement includes Google covering all connection costs and purchasing power from new solar fields, marking a significant expansion of...
India’s Heat Exposes a Fragile Grid as Energy Crunch Deepens
India is entering a sweltering pre‑monsoon summer with temperatures topping 47 °C, driving unprecedented electricity demand. Night‑time shortfalls have hit 5.4 GW, enough to leave roughly 2.7 million rural homes without power. While rapid renewable additions give the grid enough daytime capacity, solar’s...
First Solar Posts Record $1.0 B Q1 Net Sales on 31% Module Volume Surge
First Solar posted a record $1.0 billion in first‑quarter net sales, driven by a 31% rise in module volume and a 47% gross margin. The company highlighted near‑full U.S. plant utilization, a growing backlog and the rollout of its CURE technology,...
Tata Power Arm to Invest ₹6,500 Cr to Set up 10 GW Ingot, Wafer Facility
Tata Power Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of Tata Power, announced a capital outlay of roughly $795 million (₹6,500 crore) to build a photovoltaic ingot and wafer manufacturing complex with up to 10 GW capacity. The plant will be rolled out in two 5 GW...
Data Centers Now Rely on Massive New Fossil Power
Truly though, just a few years ago numbers like for new fossil fuel plants for data centres were unfathomable and absurd, and now every day there's a new announcement that looks like this https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/electrigen-to-build-and-operate-18gw-behind-the-meter-gas-platform-for-data-center-development-in-texas/
Michigan Townships Battle Microsoft and Others Over Hyperscale Data Centers and Grid Strain
Michigan townships are confronting proposals from Microsoft and other tech giants to build hyperscale data centers, sparking fierce community opposition over electricity demand, water use and zoning authority. About 600 residents attended a Gaines Township meeting to debate a rezoning...
July Brent Front-Month Sets Path to Wartime High
BRENT’s futures contract for July has replaced June as the front-month, temporarily reducing headline oil prices, but the trend remains upward as the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz causes oil supplies to tighten. In a strongly backwardated market,...
Nagpur Metro Installs India’s First Solar Panels Between Tracks at Hingna Depot
Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (MahaMetro) has installed a 50‑kW solar photovoltaic system between the tracks at Nagpur Metro’s Hingna depot, marking India’s first such deployment on a metro rail corridor. The 200‑metre pilot is expected to generate roughly 70,000 kWh of...
West Braces for Next Wave of Oil Rationing
Headed into month three of the oil crisis, the energy rationing that hit Asia and Africa is headed West. JPMorgan's commodity desk put out an internal memo recently that made the rounds. The Strait of Hormuz closure removed 13.7 million barrels...
Blockade Squeezes Iran yet Fuels Its Resilience
The blockade squeezes Iran—and props it up at the same time. By lifting oil prices it also funds Iranian resilience and strains the global economy It’s a slow, leaky tool, not a decisive one. https://t.co/2HUjqpRXMj #OilMarkets #Hormuz #Geopolitics #EnergyCrisis #Sanctions
UK Faces Largest Jet Fuel Deficit in Europe as Prices Spike to $209 per Barrel
Allianz’s latest report shows the United Kingdom has the deepest jet‑fuel deficit in Europe, about 200,000 barrels per day, and price spikes from $99 to $209 per barrel. Experts warn the shortfall could trigger widespread flight cancellations and higher ticket...
U.S. Cheap Gas Gives Structural Manufacturing Edge Amid War
Old news @FreightWaves Cheap U.S. gas isn’t a new war story It’s a decade-old shale story being retold with a geopolitical headline. Flatbed spikes don’t mean a manufacturing boom They mean something just broke and everyone’s scrambling. #EnergyMarkets #NaturalGas #Shale #Manufacturing #EnergyReality
Economic Fury Misses: No Shock, No Inflation, No Uprising
Bessent's Economic Fury has failed No sustained supply shock, no inflation surge, no public backlash. When the pressure doesn’t move prices, people, or politics, it’s not a strategy—it’s a miss. #OilMarkets #Geopolitics #EnergyCrisis #Inflation #Strategy
Oil Prices Hit Four-Year Highs as Iran-Hormuz Tensions Spur UAE Exit From OPEC
Brent crude surged to its highest level since 2022 on April 30, 2026, as the Iran‑Hormuz conflict tightened supply. The same week, the United Arab Emirates announced its withdrawal from OPEC after nearly six decades, citing Hormuz disruptions. The twin...
Chevron Beats Q1 Estimates Amid Higher Prices, Strong Refining
BIG OIL 1Q EARNINGS: In line with its peers, Chevron reports stronger-than-expected earnings, with higher prices offseting some output losses (in part due to shutdown in the neutral zone between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia). Interesting to note very strong refinery...
U.S. Adjusts Petroleum Use After 1974 Arab Embargo
U.S. PETROLEUM supply and consumption and changes in response to the Arab oil embargo in the first quarter of 1974 (estimates taken from the report on Emergency Preparedness for Interruption of Petroleum Imports into the United States published by the...
Brent Crude Surges Past $125 Amid Iran‑Hormuz Standoff, Fuel Prices Spike Globally
Brent crude climbed above $125 a barrel on Thursday after Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and President Donald Trump's hard‑line stance, sending gasoline in the United States past $4 per gallon and lifting UK petrol and diesel to...
Biomass Beat: Key Takeaways From the Argus Biomass Conference
The Argus Biomass Conference highlighted a surprisingly upbeat mood across the biomass supply chain, driven by record‑high European industrial pellet prices and strong demand ahead of the heating season. Participants discussed price spreads between Europe, Asia, and premium pellets, the...
CMA Publishes Latest Monitoring Report on Road Fuel Market
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) reported that average fuel retailer margins in the UK held steady at roughly 10.5 pence per litre in March, despite a sharp price surge driven by the Middle East crisis – petrol up 26 pence/L and...
Research: Enhanced Road Fuel Monitoring Report: May 2026
Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority released its May 2026 road‑fuel monitoring update, examining how the ongoing Middle East conflict has influenced UK pump prices, retail spreads and margins. The report covers data from late February through April 2026, comparing supermarket...
Why Abu Dhabi Walked Away From OPEC After Nearly 60 Years
Abu Dhabi announced it will leave OPEC after nearly six decades, citing a "pure policy change" driven by market fundamentals. The move ends a chronic quota dispute that costs the UAE more than $50 billion in foregone revenue as ADNOC expands...
Norwegian Firm Pulls Off Hat Trick for Rigs Working in Europe
Norwegian cleantech provider Soiltech has secured three new fluid‑treatment contracts for offshore rigs operating in the Black Sea, the Netherlands and Norway. The agreements, valued between $535,000 and $1.07 million, are slated for Q2 2026 execution. Two of the deals are renewals...
First Solar's Quarterly Sales Rise on Higher Solar Panel Demand
First Solar posted record first‑quarter revenue of $1.04 billion, up 23% from a year earlier, and net income of $346.6 million, a 65% increase. The growth was driven by stronger demand from third‑party developers and a record sales surge in India. CEO...
Will Colombia Summit Kick-Start the End of the Fossil Fuel Era?
A coalition of 57 nations convened in Santa Marta, Colombia, to create roadmaps for moving away from fossil fuels after COP30 stalled on the issue. Hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, the gathering included the EU, the UK, Canada, Nigeria...
UAE’s OPEC Exit Hands Asia a Petroyuan Moment
On May 1, 2026 the United Arab Emirates formally quit OPEC after nearly six decades, ending its participation in the cartel that underpins the petrodollar system. The departure frees Murban crude from the organization’s dollar‑only pricing rules, allowing contracts to...
Could China Drive Oil to US$250/ Bbl?
The piece argues that monetary dynamics, not just geopolitics, drive oil prices, citing the 1973 Arab‑Israeli embargo and the 1979 Iranian Revolution as reactions to a weakening US dollar. It links those historic spikes to the collapse of Bretton Woods...
Coal India's Production in April Drops Amid Rising Power Demand
Coal India reported a 9.7% drop in April output, producing 56.1 million tonnes, while its offtake fell 2% to 63.2 MT. The decline comes as India’s power grid hit a record‑high peak demand of roughly 256 GW due to an intense heat wave....
‘Long-Anticipated’ Refresh of Nuclear Regulatory Guidance Welcomed
The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has issued the seventh edition of its Licensing Nuclear Installations guidance, the first update since 2021. The new edition emphasizes early applicant engagement and incorporates the latest government policies, including National Policy Statement EN‑7,...
Bangladesh’s PV Capacity to Reach 8.5 GW by 2035, Says GlobalData
GlobalData forecasts Bangladesh’s photovoltaic capacity to climb from about 1.3 GW in 2025 to roughly 8.5 GW by 2035. The expansion will be driven by a transition from off‑grid rural solar home systems to grid‑connected rooftop and utility‑scale projects, backed by net‑metering...
Royal Navy Team Warns of Humanitarian Crisis as Mariners Trapped by Dual Blockade in the Gulf
The Royal Navy’s monitoring team reports the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed from roughly 130 daily transits to fewer than 10, creating the deepest maritime disruption since World War II. Iran’s IRGC has mined the strait and attacked vessels, while the...
Nigeria Caps Jet Fuel Prices to Avert Disruptions
Nigeria’s government imposed price caps on jet fuel and allowed airlines to buy on credit after fuel costs surged more than 270% in two months. The caps set jet fuel at NGN 1,760‑1,988 per litre in Lagos and NGN 1,809‑2,037 in Abuja,...
What Alternatives Do Gulf States Have to the Strait of Hormuz?
The Strait of Hormuz, which moves roughly 20 million barrels of oil and a fifth of global LNG each day, remains largely closed two months into the Iran‑UAE conflict. Saudi Arabia's East‑West Petroline and the UAE's Adcop together supply only 3.5‑5.5 million...
Free EV Charging in Germany Midday at Stores
Free charging in Deutschland between 12:00 and 15:00 ⚡️⚡️⚡️ enjoy🇩🇪 "Between 12:00 and 15:00 today, you can charge for €0 per kWh at selected LichtBlick chargers at famila/Markant and EDEKA Nord locations." https://t.co/VWdcpg2mCs
Sodiophilic and Electron‐Insulating Interphase for Stable Solid‐State Sodium Metal Batteries
Researchers have engineered a dual‑component Na3Sb/NaF interphase that forms in situ on NASICON‑type solid electrolytes, delivering both electron insulation and strong sodiophilicity. The interphase blocks electron leakage, improves Na‑metal wetting, and accelerates Na⁺ transport, cutting interfacial resistance to 4.7 Ω·cm². Symmetric...
UK Leads Europe in Clean Tech Funding, Report Finds
A new Cleantech for UK report shows the British clean‑tech sector raised £7.2 bn ($9.1 bn) in 2025, reclaiming the top spot in Europe. Venture‑backed equity alone reached £2.5 bn, surpassing China’s £1.9 bn, while Germany and France lagged far behind. However, the report...
A Slow-Motion Energy Crisis Is Heading Our Way
A nascent global energy crisis is unfolding, echoing the Covid pandemic’s shockwave. Brent crude surged to $115 a barrel, its highest level since 2022, while supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz keep inventories strained. Asian economies are already rationing...
Higher Oil Prices Put $80 Billion More on Australia’s Tax Horizon
Higher oil prices could boost Australia’s tax receipts by roughly $52 bn USD over the next five years, according to a Wood Mackenzie analysis cited by Australian Energy Producers (AEP). The study compares a sustained $120‑per‑barrel price with a $70 baseline,...
Global Markets Mixed Amid May Day Closures, Oil Steady at $111 per Barrel
Global equity markets posted mixed results on May 1 as many exchanges observed May Day holidays, while U.S. futures edged higher. Brent crude hovered around $111 per barrel, a modest rise despite heightened tension over Iran’s war and the prospect of reopening...