Spot Prices Wrap: Warming East Weighs on Natural Gas as Western Heat Drives Modest Gains
Spot natural gas prices fell on Wednesday as warmer weather forecasts for the eastern United States are expected to curb heating demand. The modest price decline outweighed a slight uptick in demand driven by a heatwave in the western region. Henry Hub spot prices remained relatively flat for most of the session before a sharp late‑day spike, highlighting renewed volatility after a period of subdued trading. Overall, the market reflects a tug‑of‑war between regional weather patterns and inventory expectations.
Every State’s Average Electricity Bill, From the Cheapest to Most Expensive
A recent Power Outage survey ranks U.S. states by electricity cost, showing Idaho as the cheapest at 11.74 cents per kilowatt‑hour and Hawaii as the most expensive at 41.30 cents. Monthly bills reflect this gap, with Idaho households paying about $110 while...
Taming the IoT Firehose: How Utilities Are Scaling Cloud DataOps for Smart Metering
Utilities are grappling with an "IoT firehose" as smart meters generate massive, continuous telemetry streams. To tame the volume, they are adopting cloud‑based DataOps frameworks that automate ingestion, normalize data, and deliver analytics‑ready datasets at scale. Automated, event‑driven pipelines enable...
Battery Developers, Local Officials Ask New York to Roll Back Con Edison BESS Methodology
Con Edison’s revised interconnection framework, featuring a new two‑part test, has effectively halted distributed battery energy storage system (BESS) projects across 85% of its service area. Clean‑energy groups NY‑BEST and NYSEIA filed an emergency petition with the New York Department...
Crude Oil Edges Lower As Investors Assess Easing Supply Concerns
Crude oil prices slipped modestly on Wednesday, with WTI for April delivery down 0.19% to $96.39 a barrel, as traders booked profits after a prior rally. Iraq announced the resumption of oil exports from Kirkuk, limiting shipments to 250,000 barrels...
Trump Admin Waives Jones Act for 60 Days
The White House has temporarily waived the Jones Act for 60 days, easing U.S. vessel restrictions amid heightened geopolitical tension. Simultaneously, the war in Iran and a Greek tanker attack in the Black Sea have driven up container rates and...
LEGO to Install Over 40,000 Solar Panels at Its First U.S. Factory
LEGO announced plans to build an 80‑acre solar park at its new $1.5 billion Virginia manufacturing complex, its first U.S. factory. The project will install over 30,700 ground‑mounted panels (22 MWp) and 10,080 rooftop panels (6.11 MWp), aiming to meet 100 % of the...
Baltic Towers to Supply Baltica 2 Towers
Baltic Towers has signed a supply agreement with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy to provide the largest batch of offshore wind turbine towers for the Baltica 2 project. The 2027‑commissioned farm, co‑developed by Grupa PGE and Ørsted, will deliver power to roughly 2.5 million customers...
Avantus Completes 159-MW Solar Project in Central Texas
Avantus and Toyota Tsusho America have completed the 159‑MW DC (125‑MW AC) Norton Solar Project in Runnels County, Texas, marking the latest addition to the state’s utility‑scale solar portfolio. Construction, which began in August 2024, was executed by Avantus with RES...
Japan Publishes New Guidelines for Flexible Solar Cell Installations
Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) has issued new design and construction guidelines for flexible photovoltaic (PV) and perovskite solar installations, focusing on structural load, frameless mounting and flammability. The standards target low‑load rooftops and building walls...
California Mercedes-Benz USA Parts Distribution Center Goes Solar
EDP Renewables North America’s Distributed Generation unit has finished a 720‑kW rooftop solar system at Mercedes‑Benz USA’s parts distribution center in Fontana, California. The build phase supported 65 construction jobs. The solar array is expected to generate more than $18,200...
World Bank Bans PwC Africa Subsidiaries over Electricity Project Fraud
The World Bank has debarred three PwC Africa subsidiaries—PwC Associates Africa (Mauritius), PwC Kenya, and PwC Rwanda—for 21 months after uncovering collusive and fraudulent practices tied to the Eastern Electricity Highway Project. The firms manipulated procurement documents and misrepresented expertise...
Economic Uncertainty and Digital Payment Infrastructure
The ongoing Middle East conflict has driven oil‑gas price spikes, heightening economic uncertainty across the region. In the Philippines, digital‑payment platforms have become a key buffer, with 72 % of consumer transactions conducted electronically in 2025 and a three‑fold rise in...
Higher Energy Prices Might Eat Your Tax Refund, Economists Say
Stanford economists estimate that rising gasoline prices could cost the average U.S. household about $740 this year, roughly matching the projected $750 boost from the 2023 tax refund legislation. Their model assumes a brief Strait of Hormuz closure, with gasoline...
Scandlines Races To Fully Electrify Ferry Services As Fehmarn Tunnel Stalls
Scandlines launched Baltic Whale, an all‑electric freight ferry, on the Puttgarden–Rødby route, increasing freight capacity by 27% and featuring a 10 MWh battery that charges in under 15 seconds. The vessel joins a hybrid fleet, part of a €400 million program to...
300,000 New EV Chargers Planned For Latin America
ZapCharge, the international arm of China’s Shaanxi Fast Charger, announced a plan to install 300,000 public EV chargers across Latin America by 2030, with an intermediate target of 50,000 stations by 2027. Industry analysts estimate the region will need between...
To Strengthen Power Reliability in Extreme Weather, Diversify Grid Resources
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime spotlight on utility poles sparked a conversation about America’s aging grid, highlighting how extreme weather is exposing systemic fragility. Recent storms in Texas, from the 2021 freeze to Winter Storm Fern, illustrate that diversified resources—wind,...
Indonesia Awards Nine Oil, Gas Blocks
Indonesia’s Energy Ministry announced the award of nine oil and gas blocks, committing roughly $85 million in investment. The blocks, located in West Papua, Aceh, East Java and South Sulawesi, include the Bintuni and Drawa fields with combined gas resources exceeding...
Waste-to-Energy Embraces CCS and BECCS
Kanadevia Inova will build the UK’s first full‑scale carbon capture unit at the Protos waste‑to‑energy plant, using amine scrubbing to remove about 370,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year and aiming for negative emissions by mid‑2029. In the United States, AtmosClear...
Colorado Jewish Community Center Meets Power Needs with Namaste Solar Project
Colorado’s Boulder Jewish Community Center completed a 306‑kW rooftop solar project, adding 614 panels to its existing 67‑kW array and offsetting roughly 80 % of its electricity use. The installation was funded through a $523,143 grant, Boulder County PACE financing, Xcel...
Democratic House Bill Aims to Overturn Trump Electricity Policies
Democratic Representatives Sean Casten and Mike Levin introduced the Energy Bills Relief Act, a sweeping clean electricity proposal that seeks to undo key Trump‑era policies such as fast‑track grid access for gas‑fired plants and the removal of renewable tax credits....
FuturEnergy, Form Energy Agree Battery Project
FuturEnergy Ireland and U.S. firm Form Energy have signed an agreement to install a 10 MW, 100‑hour iron‑air battery in northwest Ireland, targeting commercial operation by 2029. The system will provide multi‑day energy storage, bolstering grid reliability and supporting Ireland’s renewable‑energy...
EIB Backs €260m Ireland Solar Portfolio
The European Investment Bank approved a €100 million loan to Dolmen Solar, forming part of a €260 million investment in four utility‑scale solar farms across Ireland. The financing is the country’s first fully non‑recourse solar project loan, covering 395 MW of capacity that...
Utilities Weigh Regional Resource Adequacy Under New Western Market
Western utilities are evaluating a regional resource adequacy (RA) program as the new Regional Organization for Western Energy (ROWE) prepares to take over the Extended Day‑Ahead Market (EDAM) and the Western Energy Imbalance Market in 2028. PacifiCorp, NV Energy and...
Northern Cape Sun Providing 240 MW of Power to Platinum, Diamond, Iron-Ore Mines
South Africa’s Mooi Plaats solar photovoltaic project has entered commercial operation, delivering 240 MW of renewable electricity to Anglo‑American‑owned platinum, diamond and iron‑ore mines. The venture is part of Envusa Energy, a joint Anglo American‑EDF partnership, and marks the first of...
Diesel Tops $5 Nationally as Gas Inches Closer to $4
U.S. diesel prices broke the $5‑per‑gallon barrier, reaching a national average of $5.07, while gasoline edged toward $4 at $3.79. The surge stems from heightened Middle‑East tensions, notably the war against Iran, which have pushed crude oil above $100 a...
Can Giving Away 0.1% of Revenue Get the World to Net Zero?
Point One, a new financing platform, asks businesses to pledge 0.1% of revenue to a pooled fund for clean‑energy projects in emerging economies. Thirty companies have already signed up, and the model predicts that each pound contributed could unlock at...
Ascend Analytics on Combining AI Trading with Human Insight to Maximise US Energy Storage Values
Ascend Analytics’ SmartBidder platform blends AI‑driven market forecasts with human trader oversight to boost battery energy‑storage profitability. The algorithm wins roughly 95 % of trading days, while skilled human calibration adds an estimated 5‑10 % revenue lift, exemplified by correcting ERCOT early‑morning...
Pakistan’s Carbon Market: A New Opportunity for Startups and SMEs
Pakistan has launched a carbon market policy that lets startups and SMEs generate and sell carbon credits both voluntarily and under a nascent compliance regime. The framework aligns with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, giving Pakistani credits international recognition. By...
Solar-to-X Could Redefine Iran’s Energy Future
Iran could pivot from oil‑centric growth to a solar‑led energy system by 2050, with solar PV providing over 80% of installed capacity and 93% of electricity generation. The study projects a 1.66 TW installed power base, 3,200 TWh of renewable electricity, and...
Over 17GWh of BESS Deployed Globally in February 2026
In February 2026, grid‑scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) reached 6.9 GW of power and 17.1 GWh of capacity worldwide, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. This marks a 60 % year‑over‑year increase from February 2025’s 4.5 GW/10.5 GWh. China accounted for roughly 53 % of the...
Power Outages Can Threaten the Lives of Medical Device Users – Knowing Who Is Most at Risk Will Help Cities...
A new study of 2,600 medically dependent households reveals four distinct risk profiles during power outages, highlighting a vulnerable 7% of low‑income urban renters who lack backup power. Outages are becoming more frequent and longer, with most home medical devices...
China’s New Five-Year Plan Deepens Shift Toward Focus on Renewables System
China’s 15th Five‑Year Plan (2026‑2030) places clean electricity at the heart of its economic strategy, shifting focus from merely adding wind and solar capacity to building an integrated “new energy system.” The plan calls for incremental clean power to meet...
UAE Installs Around 1 GW of Solar in 2025
The UAE installed roughly 1 GW of solar power in 2025, lifting cumulative capacity from 5.7 GW to about 6.7 GW. GlobalData projects an additional 2.4 GW will be added in 2026, taking the total to 9.4 GW, and forecasts a compound annual growth rate...
RenewSys Commissions 3GW Module Plant in Maharashtra
RenewSys, the ENPEE Group’s PV encapsulant and backsheet arm, has commissioned a 3 GW AI‑powered solar‑module plant in Raigad, Maharashtra. The fully automated 16‑acre facility raises the company’s total module capacity to 5.6 GW and will produce TOPCon glass‑to‑glass modules. RenewSys recently...
Offshore Vietnam: Energy Imports Rise as Domestic Production Falls
Vietnam’s government forecast shows domestic crude production falling to 5.8‑8.0 million metric tons annually between 2026 and 2030, down from an eight‑year average of 8.6 Mt. Imports already rose 5.3% last year to 14.2 Mt, with roughly 80% sourced from Kuwait, now constrained...
Deal Roundup: KKR Buys Into Indian E-Bus Fleet in $310m Deal, Warburg Pincus Backs TheGuarantors
Private equity giant KKR is investing up to $310 million to acquire a majority stake in Allfleet, the electric‑bus platform of India’s PMI Electro Mobility Solutions, aiming to deploy more than 5,000 e‑buses. Warburg Pincus has taken a controlling interest in...
LG, GM to Make LFP ESS Batteries in Tennessee, Recall 700 Laid Off Workers
General Motors and LG Energy Solution’s Ultium Cells will convert its Spring Hill, Tennessee plant to produce lithium‑iron‑phosphate (LFP) battery cells for stationary energy‑storage systems, investing $70 million in the retooling. Production is slated to start in the second quarter of...
Graphene Oxide Enables Improved Supercapacitors with 1683 C/G Capacitance
Researchers from Shanghai Institute of Technology and partners have created a highly porous NiCo₂V₂O₈@GO hollow‑sphere electrode that dramatically improves supercapacitor performance. The yolk‑double‑shell architecture, coated with graphene oxide, delivers a specific capacitance of 1683 C·g⁻¹ at 1 A·g⁻¹ and retains 87% at...
Britain’s Hydrogen Network Takes Shape with a 300-Mile Spine Along the East Coast
National Gas has launched Phase 1 of Project Union, a 300‑mile hydrogen pipeline stretching from Teesside through Yorkshire to the East Midlands, forming the backbone of a planned 1,500‑mile UK hydrogen network. The corridor will repurpose existing gas lines where feasible and...
National Grid Hits Wallend Substation Milestone
National Grid has finished the main building structure of the new 400 kV Wallend substation on the Isle of Grain, Kent. The substation is a key element of the company’s £2.7 billion South East investment programme and will enable the 1.4 GW NeuConnect...
Windar Renovables to Develop New Wind Turbine Facility in Poland
Windar Renovables will build a new onshore wind turbine tower plant at CTPark Legnica, securing roughly 29,000 m² of indoor space and 41,000 m² of outdoor storage. The facility, slated to start production in Q4 2026, aims to manufacture up to 200 towers...
VSB Secures Another Wind Farm Permit: Company Plans Construction of Pfaffenhausen Wind Farm in Hesse - Construction Start in 2026
VSB Gruppe secured a permit to build the Pfaffenhausen wind farm in Hesse, authorising five Vestas V172 turbines with a total capacity of 36 MW. Construction is slated for the end of 2026, contingent on winning the Bundesnetzagentur auction. The farm...
EDF Starts Taduff Solar Park Construction
EDF Power Solutions Ireland has started construction of the 80 MW Taduff Solar Park in County Roscommon, slated for completion in spring 2028. The solar farm will generate enough electricity to supply roughly 20,000 homes and help Ireland meet its 2030...
How to Choose a Carbon Accounting Tool for Your Business
Choosing the right carbon accounting platform is critical for sustainability teams, as it can streamline data collection, reduce costs, and turn emissions reductions into competitive advantage. Experts recommend evaluating core capabilities such as reporting, forecasting, and efficiency analysis, as well...
VIDEO: Interviews with IPPs R.Power, BW ESS and Econergy at the Energy Storage Summit 2026
At the Energy Storage Summit 2026 in London, independent power producers BW ESS, R.Power and Econergy shared insights on their large‑scale battery energy storage system (BESS) deployments across Europe and Australia. The executives highlighted recent project wins, evolving financing structures, and the...
Former NEM Review Chair Urges Industry Action as Australia Shifts From Fuel Storage to Energy Storage
Professor Tim Nelson, former chair of the National Electricity Market Review, warned that Australia’s power system has fundamentally shifted from fuel storage to energy storage, rendering legacy market rules obsolete. He highlighted a financing “tenor gap” where banks demand long‑term...
Zelestra Signs Renewable Contracts Totalling 1.5TWh in Italy
Zelestra has signed bilateral renewable energy contracts under Italy’s Energy Release 2.0 framework, totaling 1.5 TWh. The flagship deal with Burgo Group provides 950 GWh of renewable electricity, giving the paper producer stable supply and lower market risk. The agreements support Zelestra’s plan...
Zelestra Signs Renewable Contracts Totalling 1.5TWh in Italy
Zelestra has secured bilateral renewable contracts totaling 1.5 TWh under Italy’s Energy Release 2.0 scheme, including a 950 GWh long‑term supply deal with paper manufacturer Burgo Group. The agreement gives Burgo stable, renewable electricity, shielding it from wholesale market swings and supporting its...
Spiorad Na Mara Submits Offshore Consent
Spiorad na Mara, a 900 MW offshore wind project off the Isle of Lewis, has lodged its planning‑consent application with Scotland’s Marine Directorate. The development is a joint venture between Northland Power (75.5%) and ESB (24.5%). If approved, the farm could...