Friday, 24 July 2026

Polish independent power producer R.Power has awarded engineering, procurement and construction contracts for two utility-scale battery installations in Poland, according to ESS News: a 300 MW/1,200 MWh site at Dzięgielewo and a 250 MW/1,000 MWh site at Gdańsk.

ESS News reported that both are four-hour battery energy storage systems, with commissioning targeted for late 2027 or early 2028.

The Dzięgielewo build has gone to Onde SA, and Esix takes on delivery of the Gdańsk site, according to ESS News.

With these two sites added, R.Power's under-construction battery portfolio across Central and Eastern Europe now stands at more than 800 MW/2,750 MWh, the company said.

R.Power said capacity market contracts won through Poland's auctions underpin both projects, with delivery starting in 2029.

An optimization agreement with Axpo covers the Dzięgielewo site, according to ESS News.

Across its operating and under-construction assets, R.Power said it holds 1.9 GW.

China General Nuclear has installed the reactor pressure vessel at unit 1 of the Lufeng nuclear power plant in China's Guangdong province.

The unit is one of four 1250 MWe CAP1000 reactors approved for the Lufeng site by China's National Development and Reform Commission in September 2014, according to World Nuclear News. The CAP1000 is the Chinese version of the Westinghouse AP1000.

Construction of units 1 and 2 did not receive State Council approval until August 2024. Both units are scheduled to begin operating in 2030.

Work is also under way on two further reactors at the site. World Nuclear News reported that first concrete was poured for unit 5 on 8 September 2022 and for unit 6 on 26 August 2023.

According to CGN, once all six units are in operation, the Lufeng plant will generate about 52 TWh, reducing standard coal consumption by almost 16 million tonnes and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by more than 42 million tonnes.

Pace Digitek's Lineage Power unit has opened a battery research site in Pune, India, according to ESS News. The Pace-Lineage Research Center will handle engineering, product development and research into advanced battery technologies, including advanced chemistry cells (ACC) and energy storage solutions.

IISER Pune is a partner on the venture. The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune worked with the company to set up the facility, which will run research and development on battery technologies and materials.

Work at the center centers on advanced chemistry cells, spanning lithium-ion (Li-ion) and sodium-ion (Na-ion) chemistries, plus battery materials, ESS News reported. Pace Digitek said the research targets gains in battery capacity and cycling stability.

Staff will also test and verify raw materials sourced from domestic suppliers.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has opened round 2 of its Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition, worth up to GBP 90 million in total, according to a notice from the department. The scheme aims to bring forward investment in the UK heat pump manufacturing supply chain.

UK registered businesses can apply for grant funding of up to GBP 30 million per project, according to the department. The funding targets major investments in the manufacture of heat pumps and strategically important heat pump components.

Eligibility extends to companies set up for the purpose of delivering the project in the application, according to the notice.

Applications for round 2 must be submitted by 3pm on Wednesday 5 August 2026, according to the department.

The department published the latest clarification questions for round 2 on 23 July 2026.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has opened a funding opportunity to advance domestic oil and natural gas production and delivery, with an application deadline of September 22, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET.

DOE Under Secretary of Energy Kyle Haustveit said the funding will help American producers eliminate waste, improve efficiency, and deliver affordable, reliable, and secure energy that powers the economy and strengthens national security.

According to the DOE, the funding opportunity supports President Trump's Executive Order, "Unleashing American Energy," and advances the administration's commitment to ensuring Americans have access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy through the responsible development of the nation's oil and natural gas supplies.

Horizon Petroleum has signed a drilling and services deal covering the re-entry, recompletion and production testing at its Lachowice-7 well and won final regulatory clearance to begin field work, according to World Oil. Exalo Drilling S.A. holds the contract, with operations set for the company's wholly owned Bielsko-Biała concession.

Rig mobilization is due to start July 27, and field operations should get under way around Aug. 1, World Oil reported. If the workover succeeds, stimulation and production testing are expected to run from late August into early September.

Horizon Petroleum CEO David Winter said the test aims to determine whether the reserve can move toward commercial production, with a target of initial cash flow in early third-quarter 2027.

The company estimates the Lachowice field holds more than 1.2 Tcf of gas in place.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 52-0 on July 21 to advance the Ratepayer Protection legislation, according to Power Magazine.

Congress and the White House moved on parallel tracks this week to prevent large data centers from shifting their grid costs onto electricity customers, Power Magazine reported.

The concern about data center cost-shifting has gathered momentum among state regulators, consumer advocates, and members of both parties, according to Power Magazine.

Kenya lags in electric car adoption, according to CleanTechnica. The outlet described the country as one of those falling behind on passenger EV uptake.

The electric bus segment tells a different story. CleanTechnica reported that Kenya's electric bus sector has seen significant activity, driven by pay-as-you-drive programs it described as energy-as-a-service channels.

The divergence sits within a national market where car electrification has been slow to take hold.

Array Technologies has struck a definitive deal to buy Affordable Wire Management, which supplies cable protection and balance of system gear, in a transaction valued at as much as $203 million, according to pv magazine.

The purchase carries a base price of $153 million in cash payable at closing, according to pv magazine. On top of that, the buyer will pay up to $50 million tied to performance earnouts and employment-contingent terms running through 2028.

Through May 31, 2026, the target booked close to $60 million in trailing revenue, pv magazine reported. At the full deal value, that puts the enterprise multiple near 8.8 times its trailing 12-month EBITDA.

Closing is expected in the third quarter of 2026, according to pv magazine. Array projects high single-digit accretion to adjusted earnings per share in the first full year after the deal completes.

The company also unveiled a 60-degree version of its DuraTrack tracker, aimed at moderate hail hazard areas that include Texas and the Great Plains, pv magazine reported.

According to pv magazine, the new tracker uses mechanical passive wind stow that limits row stowing in turbulent wind, which the company says can add up to 4% in energy production against full-field stow setups.

Quotations for the 60-degree DuraTrack open in 2026, with the first project deliveries set for mid-2027, according to pv magazine.

Rayzon Solar and Navitas Solar have each signed five-year agreements with Caelux to develop and manufacture 5 GW of perovskite-silicon tandem modules in India, bringing combined planned capacity to 10 GW, according to pv magazine.

The hybrid tandem panels target efficiencies of up to 28%, compared with around 25% for conventional TOPCon modules, pv magazine reported.

Rayzon Solar said it will use its 11.3 GW bifacial module manufacturing platform to integrate Caelux's perovskite-coated glass into its TOPCon module production, according to pv magazine.

Commercial production of the hybrid tandem modules is targeted for 2028 for both Rayzon and Navitas, pv magazine reported.

Navitas Solar, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Surat, Gujarat, manufactures mono PERC and n-type TOPCon modules with power ratings of up to 720 W, according to pv magazine.

An 11 MW solar plant operated by Luxel escaped a wildfire in France's Pyrénées-Orientales with limited damage, according to pv magazine, after brush around the site was kept cleared. Around 100 of the plant's 43,500 modules were damaged, pv magazine reported.

The fire broke out on July 4 in Trévillach and later spread toward the Ille-sur-Têt area, burning across a front of nearly 18 km, according to pv magazine. It scorched approximately 5,000 hectares, destroyed several homes, and forced the evacuation of around 10,000 residents.

Damage at the plant was confined to two module arrays, pv magazine said, citing a video released by the Ministry of the Interior.

Luxel director Arnaud Ponche attributed the plant's resilience to regular vegetation maintenance at the site and within a 50-meter perimeter around the fences. "Clearing brush, particularly during periods of drought, is more essential than ever to help prevent such disasters," he said, according to pv magazine.

After the alert was issued, Enedis's grid control center disconnected the plant from the grid and shut it down, pv magazine reported. The operator said it follows fire prevention recommendations issued by the departmental fire and rescue services across all its solar facilities and highlighted the work of the approximately 800 firefighters mobilized during the wildfire. By July 10, half of the inverters had been brought back online.

Nearly two years after Hurricane Helene struck Asheville, the largest city in western North Carolina, many residents are still rebuilding and want to be better prepared for the next weather disaster, according to Canary Media.

The effort is taking shape in Emma, a diverse, mostly immigrant neighborhood just northwest of downtown Asheville, Canary Media reported.

A King County judge rejected oil companies' bids to throw out Misti Leon's wrongful death suit, clearing the case to move toward trial, according to Grist.

Leon's mother died of overheating on Washington's hottest recorded day, in June 2021, as temperatures hit 108 degrees Fahrenheit, Grist reported. Across the Pacific Northwest, roughly 1,200 people died during that week under the heat dome, according to Grist.

The Leon suit sits among many now moving through US courts. Columbia Law School's Sabin Center counts nearly 40 climate cases pending against oil companies nationwide. Five have reached discovery, where each side gathers evidence for trial, in filings from Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, and Honolulu, Grist reported.

The American Petroleum Institute has named stopping "extreme climate liability policy" as one of its priorities for 2026, according to Grist.

Utah, Iowa, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Louisiana have each signed laws that shield fossil fuel companies from suits tied to greenhouse gas emissions, Grist reported.

In May, the Justice Department filed its own suit against Minnesota's climate case targeting Big Oil, timed as that state action moved into discovery, according to Grist.

Plug-in electric vehicles took 41.4% of the UK new car market in Q2 2026, up from 34.2% in the same quarter a year earlier, according to CleanTechnica.

Overall auto volume in the quarter reached 523,075 units, a rise of around 13% year on year, CleanTechnica reported.

Battery electric vehicle share grew decently year on year, while plug-in hybrid share grew modestly, according to CleanTechnica.

Tesla was the best-selling BEV brand in the UK during the quarter, CleanTechnica said.

French construction group NGE is taking a 50% stake in Fos3F, the serial production line BW Ideol plans for concrete floating wind foundations at Fos-sur-Mer, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital. The two partners have set up an equal venture to build the manufacturing facility in southern France, which would target floating offshore wind projects in the Mediterranean.

The partners have jointly bid for a 30-hectare site at the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille to house the line, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported.

At full capacity, the plant would turn out around 30 floating foundations a year, equal to roughly 500 MW of annual offshore wind capacity, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

BW Ideol said the site is expected to supply more than 200 floating foundations between 2030 and 2037 and is projected to create more than 1,300 direct jobs around Fos-sur-Mer.

France's AO10 offshore wind tender is expected to lift the country's planned floating offshore wind capacity above 5 GW, of which 3.7 GW would sit in the Mediterranean, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported.

Thailand is reviewing a 24-billion-baht EV adoption programme that could replace up to 80,000 older vehicles with electric models, according to electrive. The subsidy under consideration is worth around USD 714 million, electrive reported, and would target the same replacement of up to 80,000 older vehicles.

Battery-electric vehicle sales in the country rose sharply last year. The Thai Industrial Federation reported that 120,301 battery-electric vehicles were sold in 2025, an 80% increase over the previous year. Those sales gave BEVs a 19.4% share of Thailand's total market of 621,166 vehicles in 2025, according to electrive citing the same data.

Separately, BMW confirmed it will manufacture the Neue Klasse i3 and iX3 at its San Luis Potosi plant in Mexico from 2027, according to electrive. The company is investing EUR 800 million to expand the site, with more than EUR 500 million allocated to a new high-voltage battery assembly centre.

The expansion adds more than 110,000 square metres to the plant, electrive reported, with the new battery facility covering more than 80,000 square metres to assemble sixth-generation battery packs.

India's standalone battery tender tariffs have climbed to around INR 210,000/MW/month, according to ESS News, reversing record lows recorded earlier in the year. The rise follows tariffs in the range of INR 160,000 ($1,660)/MW/month to INR 190,000/MW/month across the first three quarters of 2025.

ESS News attributes the increase to tightening supply of raw materials and policy changes in China, still the world's dominant battery manufacturer.

Demand projections underpin the market. The Central Electricity Authority of India (CEA), in its Generation Adequacy Plan of 2026-2036, estimates that 147 GWh of battery storage will be required by 2031-32, rising to 321 GWh by 2035-36 to maintain reliability as renewable energy grows.

Price volatility is widening the case for storage arbitrage. Average one-hour price spreads increased to INR 7.42/kWh in 2025 from INR 6.95/kWh in 2024, according to ESS News, driven by excess midday solar generation and strong evening demand.

Policy mandates are adding to storage demand. Maharashtra's recent Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Policy requires at least two hours of energy storage equivalent to 50% of project capacity for new projects.

Regulatory changes have also raised risk for generators without storage. The tightening of deviation bands under the Deviation Settlement Mechanism took effect from April 1, 2026, increasing the penalty risk for standalone solar and wind projects.

On the manufacturing side, India's Production-Linked Incentive scheme has allocated 40 GWh of battery manufacturing capacity across two auctions, according to ESS News, though progress on the ground has been slower than hoped.

Expro closed its purchase of Enhanced Drilling, a Norwegian managed pressure drilling specialist, in a deal valued near USD 208 million, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

The transaction brings Enhanced Drilling's managed pressure drilling and riserless mud recovery technologies into Expro's product line, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported. The publication said the added technologies let Expro enter customer projects at the well planning and design stage.

Enhanced Drilling has run its managed pressure drilling and riserless mud recovery systems mainly across the North Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Gulf of America, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Expro intends to take the technologies into further offshore markets, naming West Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific, the publication reported.

Expro chief executive Michael Jardon described the transaction as "a strong strategic fit" for the company's offshore work, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Brent crude gave back close to $4 on Friday, dropping 3.96% to trade at $96.70 a barrel by 0946 GMT, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital. Even after the retreat, the benchmark was tracking a 9.7% gain across the week.

The drop came one session after Brent closed above $100 for the first time since May, OEDigital reported. That prior surge followed reports that Iran-aligned Houthis had hit two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) shed $3.15, or 3.42%, to $89.04 a barrel, heading for a weekly rise of nearly 8%, OEDigital said.

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed "major military punishment" for Iran and its Houthi allies over the Red Sea attacks.

JPMorgan analysts projected that every extra month of supply disruption would add roughly $7 to $8 a barrel to Brent, a path that could push monthly averages to about $114/bbl should the interruptions run for three months.

Shipping traffic showed no sign of a broad shutdown at one key chokepoint. Commodity vessel transits at the Bab el-Mandeb strait reached 32 on July 23, up from 26 a day earlier, according to Kpler data.

Elsewhere on the supply side, Kazakhstan's energy ministry said producers temporarily cut output after suspected Ukrainian drone strikes shut the country's main Black Sea export terminal, OEDigital reported.

Statkraft has bought battery equipment for a storage system going into the repowered Montes de Cierzo wind farm at Tudela in northern Spain, ESS News reported.

ESS News put the configuration at six lithium-ion containers rated 14.26 MW and 28.51 MWh, enough for two hours of charging and discharging.

The EUR 4 million project won backing from Spain's Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), a grant capped at 24% of the storage investment, according to ESS News.

Batteries come from Hithium; Ingeteam supplies the power conversion system and control platform. ESS News reported that both are built in Navarra.

The storage sits within the second phase of the Montes de Cierzo repowering. Under that program, 85 original turbines give way to 14 newer machines, lifting installed capacity from 60 MW to 90 MW and raising annual output from 145 GWh to about 300 GWh, ESS News reported.

Beyond this site, Statkraft has 11 more storage projects tied to existing renewable plants in Spain, together exceeding 200 MW, plus two standalone battery projects of 90 MW/360 MWh, according to ESS News.

Separately, Aquila Clean Energy cleared its final permits for a 15.62 MW/31.1 MWh battery at the 38 MWp Manztierra solar plant in Ciudad Real, running since July 2024, ESS News reported.

Plugin electric vehicles captured 34.5% of the French auto market in Q2 2026, up from 23.9% a year earlier, according to CleanTechnica.

CleanTechnica reported that battery electric vehicle share grew strongly year over year, while plug-in hybrid share was slightly down.

Overall auto volume in France reached 457,688 units in the quarter, up about 6% year over year, according to CleanTechnica.

The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling battery electric vehicle in France during the quarter, CleanTechnica said.

The Scottish Government has announced almost £2 million in new funding to help the country's haulage sector prepare for electrification, according to electrive.

The package combines £1 million for small- and medium-sized fleet transition planning with £900,000 for skills development to support the shift away from diesel, electrive reported.

Within the fleet planning strand, the SME Fleet Analysis Support fund provides up to £15,000 to small and medium-sized enterprises to help them plan their fleet transition and identify suitable zero-emission technologies, according to electrive.

The £900,000 allocation funds the next phase of the Zero Emission Heavy Duty Vehicle Skills Challenge Fund, which supports training providers, colleges and industry organisations developing the skills required to maintain and operate battery-electric and hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles.

Stephen Flynn, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport, said reducing emissions from heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) is essential to delivering the Climate Change Plan but cannot be done without the required skills.

Allseas has completed one of the most extensive renewal and upgrade programs in the history of its pipelay vessel Solitaire, clearing the ship to return to commercial operations after 10 months of work in Rotterdam, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

The program modernized the vessel's propulsion, power generation, automation and hybrid power systems, according to OEDigital. It also upgraded the double joint factory, a component of Solitaire's pipelay operations for more than 25 years.

OEDigital reports that Solitaire will return to commercial service in the Gulf of Mexico following sea trials, where it is scheduled to work on a major ultra-deepwater pipeline project. The vessel will then begin a two-year campaign covering West Africa, Taiwan and Australia.

That campaign is expected to include the installation of more than 1,250 kilometers of pipeline, according to OEDigital.

Solitaire was launched in 1998 and has been one of the offshore industry's flagship pipelay vessels, OEDigital reports.

China has adopted revised mandatory energy consumption standards for photovoltaic manufacturing, with regulators clearing them on June 27 and issuing the full text on July 22 ahead of an effective date of January 1, 2027, according to pv magazine.

Under the new rule, coded GB 29447-2026, polysilicon made through the trichlorosilane process falls into three energy grades set at 5.0, 5.5 and 6.3 kgce per kilogram of product, pv magazine reported. Regulators tightened the Grade 3 ceiling, which caps energy use for existing lines, from the 6.4 kgce/kg figure floated in the consultation draft.

That half-point cut sharply narrows the compliant field. An industry estimate cited after a standards implementation meeting put compliance with the draft 6.4 kgce/kg threshold at around 84% of capacity, against only about 45% under the final 6.3 kgce/kg limit, according to pv magazine.

Silane fluidized-bed polysilicon carries stricter numbers, with Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3 pegged at 3.6, 4.0 and 4.6 kgce/kg.

Brokerage estimates cited by pv magazine indicate the standard could pull China's compliant polysilicon capacity down from about 3.5 million tonnes to below 2 million tonnes. Operating capacity ran at roughly 1.3 million tonnes across the first half of 2026.

The reach extends beyond upstream production. Modules and inverters that miss the Grade 3 requirements will be barred from manufacture, import or sale in China, according to pv magazine.

A core catcher bound for the reactor that will become the eighth unit at Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant has reached the pier at Sosnovy Bor, ending a 2,000 kilometre boat trip, according to World Nuclear News.

The steel vessel spent 16 days in transit, routed through the River Volga, Lake Beloye, Lake Onega, Lake Ladoga, the River Neva and the Gulf of Finland before docking, World Nuclear News reported.

Director Vladimir Pereguda said crews aim to seat the core catcher in the reactor shaft two months earlier than planned. The schedule cited by World Nuclear News puts reactor vessel installation in 2029.

Construction reached first concrete for the eighth unit in March 2025, according to World Nuclear News.

The station carries an installed capacity of 4,400 MWe and covers more than 55% of electricity demand across St Petersburg and the Leningrad region, per World Nuclear News.

Volkswagen opened orders for the ID. Cross in Germany with the ID. Cross Life priced at €36,525, falling to €34,025 after a €2,500 purchase incentive on the 155 kW variant, according to electrive.

The higher-equipped ID. Cross Style is listed at €39,110, according to electrive. A €3,500 purchase incentive available for that model cuts the final price to €35,610.

At launch the ID. Cross runs a 155 kW front-wheel-drive powertrain paired with an NMC battery of 52 kWh usable capacity, electrive reported.

Volkswagen states a WLTP range of up to 427 km, according to electrive. Maximum DC charging power reaches 105 kW, with a 10 to 80% charge taking 24 minutes.

The €27,995 entry-level price communicated at the initial presentation is not yet available at order start, according to electrive. That price applies to the base Trend version, which the configurator shows as orderable only from mid-October.

Volkswagen plans to expand the range with variants rated at 85 and 99 kW, electrive reported. Both will use a smaller LFP battery of 37 kWh and support a maximum DC charging power of 90 kW.

The ID. Cross measures 4.15 metres in length, making it around ten centimetres longer and five centimetres taller than the ID. Polo, according to electrive.

Array Technologies has agreed to acquire Tempe, Arizona-based Affordable Wire Management LLC (AWM) for total consideration of about USD 203 million, according to Array officials cited by Solar Builder.

The deal is expected to close in Q3 2026, according to Solar Builder. Array Technologies struck the agreement to acquire AWM, Solar Builder reported. Array officials put the total consideration at about USD 203 million.

AWM had nearly USD 60 million in trailing twelve months revenue as of July 2026, according to Solar Builder.

Kevin G. Hostetler of Array said the acquisition will broaden the company's balance-of-system portfolio and create new growth vectors in the battery energy storage system (BESS) and datacenter markets, according to Solar Builder.

AWM's senior management team is expected to remain with Array after the closing, the companies said, per Solar Builder.

AWM was founded in 2020 and develops products to organize, secure, and protect electrical wiring systems, according to Solar Builder.

Red Eléctrica has enlarged the Peñaflor substation at Villamayor de Gállego, in Zaragoza, adding transmission capacity in the area, according to the Redeia subsidiary that operates and transmits Spain's electricity system.

The work carries a EUR 10 million price tag and centers on a newly installed transmission transformer, according to Red Eléctrica.

The upgraded site is one of the main supply points for the city of Zaragoza and its metropolitan area, where more than 800,000 people live alongside major industrial zones, according to Red Eléctrica.

Crews are also constructing two bays at the 400 kV switchyard, according to Red Eléctrica. Red Eléctrica said the bays will later link two major electricity consumers.

The project falls under the April 2024 Modification of Specific Items to the current Transmission Grid Development Plan, which the Council of Ministers approved and which binds Red Eléctrica.

Virginia rejoined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) on July 1 after a hiatus of more than two years, according to Inside Climate News.

RGGI is a carbon market that Virginia and 11 other northeastern states participate in, and it requires electricity producers to bid to purchase allowances for each ton of carbon they emit, Inside Climate News reported. The number of allowances will decrease to zero by 2050 to speed adoption of a cleaner electric grid, according to the outlet.

The return raises costs for ratepayers. The RGGI monthly fee for a typical residential customer in Virginia was about USD 2.39 in 2022 but is now expected to be about USD 13, according to Inside Climate News.

Virginia joined RGGI in 2021 under Democratic control and withdrew in 2023 at the request of former Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, the outlet reported.

Power-sector emissions moved sharply over the period around Virginia's exit. According to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, emissions from the state's power sector fell from about 32.7 million tons of CO2 in 2020 to 25.5 million tons in 2023, the year the state left, then rose to 33.3 million tons by 2025.

Dominion said it will create over 10 million tons of emissions needing RGGI allowances in 2026, for only half the year, according to Inside Climate News.

Virginia is ranked 27th in the nation for renewable energy consumption, at 7.8%, the outlet reported.

German startup Revolta has launched a high-voltage residential sodium-ion battery storage system with modular capacity ranging from 2 kWh to 20 kWh, according to ESS News.

Each module holds 2.0 kWh, and up to 10 can be connected in parallel to reach the 20 kWh total, ESS News reported.

The system runs at a nominal voltage of 450 V DC with an energy density of 105 Wh/kg, according to ESS News.

Revolta said charge and discharge power varies between 0.6 kW and 1.2 kW depending on the state of charge, and the system achieves efficiency above 95%.

The company said the battery can stay in standby for more than one year without requiring a recharge.

The official market launch is scheduled for September, a company spokesperson told pv magazine.

Revolta expects its sales network to be fully established by 2027, according to ESS News. The company plans to focus first on the German market while preparing for expansion into other European countries.

Brookfield Corp. has agreed to acquire Aypa Power from Blackstone Energy Transition Partners, according to Solar Builder. The financial terms come to about USD 7 billion, according to Solar Builder.

Aypa Power holds 6.5 GW of battery storage in its total portfolio and more than 20 GW in its development pipeline, according to Solar Builder. That scale makes it one of the largest assets in the North American battery storage market, per the same report.

Under the agreement, Brookfield will take over Aypa's operating assets alongside its under-construction and contracted project portfolio, according to Solar Builder. The transaction also includes Aypa's team of about 200, per the report.

Aypa's operating and under-construction portfolio sits at 95% contracted, mostly through long-term agreements with investment-grade customers, according to Solar Builder.

Aypa Power is currently the largest standalone battery storage developer in North America, serving markets in both the United States and Canada, according to Brookfield.

Jehangir Vevaina, chief investment officer of Brookfield's energy group, said battery storage is increasingly critical to the reliability and resilience of today's energy systems.

Hyundai Motor Group has launched AllDayEnergy, a single global identity that brings together its vehicle-to-everything (V2X) services, according to CleanTechnica.

The brand integrates Smart Charging (V1G), Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) services under one global identity, CleanTechnica reported.

Rollout will begin with V1G smart charging in the United Kingdom, delivered first via the Kia App in H2 2026, according to CleanTechnica.

NHTSA turned down a request to launch a defect investigation into the concealed manual door releases fitted to the Tesla Model 3, according to Electrek. The rejection applies to 179,031 model year 2022 Model 3 vehicles.

Tesla owner Kevin Clouse lodged the petition on November 7, 2025, Electrek reported. Clouse contended that the Model 3's emergency egress controls for the mechanical door release are not readily accessible and clearly identifiable, breaching federal safety standard FMVSS 206.

By March 13, 2026, the agency had logged just one consumer complaint tied to a concealed or unlabeled manual release and an entrapment risk, and that complaint came from Clouse's own VIN, according to Electrek.

NHTSA said the issues raised do not point to the likelihood of a safety related defect that would justify a defect investigation, adding that the matter is better handled through rulemaking.

On November 4, 2025, a second petition reached NHTSA's Office of Rulemaking, seeking a new federal standard that would require a robust and obvious door egress system in all motor vehicles, Electrek reported. The agency granted that request.

In September 2025, NHTSA had opened an investigation into Model Y door handles after parents reported children trapped in the back seat once the 12-volt system failed, according to Electrek.

Congress introduced the SAFE Exit Act in January, citing 15 deaths linked to door-handle access, Electrek reported.

Factorial Energy Inc. has landed its first commercial order for drone batteries, its opening move into commercial aerospace, according to a GlobeNewswire release.

Under the deal, Factorial provides high-energy-density lithium-metal cells that a U.S.-based pack integrator will build into finished battery packs.

The order came after a drone flight test that showed more than a 30% gain in flight range, said Siyu Huang, who runs Factorial.

Factorial's cells have also been tested on the road. In Mercedes-Benz real-world trials with a lightly modified test vehicle, the technology delivered over 1,200 km of range on one charge, per the release.

Backers of Factorial Energy include IQT, the not-for-profit strategic investor for the U.S. national security community and America's allies, along with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, Hyundai, and Kia.

SLB reported second-quarter revenue of USD 8.97 billion, up 5% year over year, as international offshore activity offset a decline in the Middle East, according to World Oil.

Net income attributable to the company reached USD 786 million for the quarter, World Oil reported. Adjusted EBITDA came in at USD 1.90 billion, supported by higher offshore activity, stronger production systems demand and continued digital growth.

Middle East revenue fell 13%, which World Oil attributed to ongoing conflict-related operational disruptions. Offshore drilling in Brazil, Guyana, Mexico, Nigeria and the North Sea contributed to the international gains that offset that decline.

Production Systems revenue rose 7% sequentially, supported by increased subsea activity, artificial lift, surface production systems and production chemicals, according to World Oil. Digital revenue increased 9%, reflecting stronger demand for exploration software, digital operations and AI-enabled workflows.

CEO Olivier Le Peuch said the regional conflict has heightened the industry's focus on supply diversification, reinforcing the strategic importance of deepwater, exploration, and production and recovery activities.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) explored reforms to PJM governance and stakeholder processes at a daylong technical conference Thursday, according to PJM Inside Lines, which reported that two-dozen speakers took part.

PJM President and CEO David E. Mills used the venue to press a specific structural fix. According to PJM Inside Lines, Mills said he would create an augmented OPSI organization to speak for the totality of the states and would grant the PJM Board section 205 rights on the Operating Agreement and transmission planning.

Mills framed the reforms against a supply problem. More than 50 GW of resources have cleared PJM's planning process and executed interconnection agreements, yet the last two auctions produced lackluster new generation, he said, per PJM Inside Lines.

To help close the reliability gap, PJM will announce a September 2026 backstop auction with a 15-year term in the coming days, Mills noted, according to PJM Inside Lines.

Mills tied the reliability risks partly to eroded investor confidence. According to PJM Inside Lines, he pointed to repeated market-model changes, external interventions such as price caps, and broader narratives about leaving, dismantling or breaking up PJM.

The conference audience also heard from James P. Danly, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy and a former FERC chair, and from Peter Lake, senior director of power for the White House National Energy Dominance Council, PJM Inside Lines reported.

Audi priced its A2 e-tron from EUR 38,200, roughly USD 44,000, in Germany, according to Electrek. That places the entry-level electric model close to EUR 10,000 under the Q4 e-tron, which opens at EUR 47,500, Electrek reported.

The A2 e-tron carries a WLTP range reaching 403 miles, or 649 km, per Electrek. Four power outputs will be on offer: 125 kW, 140 kW, 170 kW and 240 kW.

Three battery packs are expected across the lineup, sized at 50 kWh, 58 kWh and 79 kWh, Electrek reported.

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said the model is meant to ease entry into the Audi brand, according to Electrek.

The A2 badge predates the electric car. Audi sold more than 175,000 A2 units between 2000 and 2005, then halted production after five years when demand trailed expectations, according to Electrek.

A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report estimates more than 356 billion tons of coal resources lie beneath federally owned land in the contiguous United States, according to Inside Climate News.

The USGS report estimated an additional 4.2 billion tons of coal reserves already sit within a mining area and could be profitably extracted in the lower 48 states, Inside Climate News reported. That figure sits alongside the far larger resource estimate for federal land in the contiguous United States.

The report found that Alaska has at least 140 billion tons of available coal and could contain as much as 5.5 trillion tons. There are currently 34 active coal mines on federal lands, according to Inside Climate News.

An Interior press release estimated the coal reserves under federal lands would supply all the nation's needs for at least 600 years at the current rate of consumption, Inside Climate News reported.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said American Energy Dominance is more important than ever and highlighted coal's role in electricity production.

The Department of Energy allocated a half billion dollars this year to retrofitting or restarting 10 coal-fired power plants in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, according to Inside Climate News.

U.S. coal production has fallen by 56 percent since 2008, its peak year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.