Saturday, 7 November 2026

Removing barriers to distributed energy resources and advancing supportive policies could save the U.S. an estimated USD 614 billion in energy costs by 2050, according to a report by The Brattle Group and Pew Charitable Trusts cited by Solar Builder.

The report also estimates that expanding distributed energy resources would reduce U.S. carbon emissions by 3%.

Canada's federal government will spend more than CAD 50 billion over the coming decades to expand the country's electricity system under Budget 2026, CBC News reported.

The budget also includes five-year extensions for two mineral exploration tax credits, according to Northern Miner. The extensions support mining activity linked to the broader energy infrastructure build-out.

The Vigo County Area Plan Commission voted to recommend an amendment to the county's zoning ordinance that would permit Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) as a special exception, according to the Tribune-Star.

The Vigo County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to take up the amendment at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Vigo County Annex and could reach a decision at that session, the Tribune-Star reported.

Three Pennsylvania energy projects backed by the Shapiro administration have been selected for PJM's first Expedited Interconnection Track, a process designed to accelerate grid connections for major energy projects, according to the Cumberlink news service.

The three projects account for three of the four total selections across the PJM region and are expected to add 1.7 GW of generation and storage capacity by mid-2029, enough to power nearly 900,000 homes.

Two of the three are battery storage facilities, contributing 1.36 GW of storage capacity. PJM will review projects through the expedited track in approximately 12 months, cutting the typical timeline by more than half.

Annual investment in electricity transmission in Europe nearly tripled from EUR 10.4 billion in 2019 to EUR 30.5 billion in 2025, according to ACER.

The spending surge has not eliminated bottlenecks. Remedial actions by transmission system operators to relieve grid congestion cost European consumers EUR 5.4 billion in 2025, ACER reported.

Permitting remains the chief drag on project delivery. An average of 22% of electricity transmission projects of common or mutual interest are delayed each year, mainly because of lengthy permitting procedures, according to ACER.

TREX Energy has commissioned a lithium battery manufacturing facility at E-City in Hyderabad, Telangana, according to Mercom.

The facility features an automated module assembly line capable of producing 12 parts per minute, Mercom reported. The line is designed to manufacture 52S battery packs for 261 kWh and 5 MWh battery energy storage systems (BESS).

Malta's government plans to invest more than EUR 370 million in energy, water infrastructure, and environmental projects under its Budget 2027, according to a report published by lovinmalta.com. The government also pledged an additional EUR 400 million to keep energy prices stable for families and businesses.

Grid reliability is a central focus. Investment will continue in new substations, electricity cables, and distribution centres aimed at strengthening the country's electricity supply, according to lovinmalta.com.

Work on Malta's second electricity interconnector will also proceed, alongside battery energy storage systems and new renewable energy sources.