In Yemen's Taiz city, reliance on solar power and modified vehicles for energy has led to a surge in deadly fires. Lithium battery explosions from solar systems and cooking gas conversions in cars are causing severe burns and fatalities, overwhelming local hospitals.
Britain's largest community solar project in north Devon has been forced to shut for its first summer due to concerns it could overload the local grid with renewable energy. The shutdown is expected to cost its 10,000 members £2m in lost revenue.
The UK's energy system operator warned of potential strain on power supplies Thursday night due to extreme temperatures and high demand from cooling systems. France's EDF also noted heatwave impacts on its nuclear reactors, which export power to the UK.
A CREA analysis predicts El Nino will severely impact India's energy system, reducing renewable generation and increasing demand for air conditioning. This could lead to an 18 TWh generation gap, a surge in coal power, and significant CO2 emissions, highlighting the need for accelerated solar and battery deployment.
The cost of upgrading Great Britain's electricity networks through the 2030s has increased by 50% to almost £90bn, according to the National Energy System Operator (Neso). This investment is crucial for connecting low-carbon energy and meeting rising demand, aligning with the UK government's 2030 clean power targets.
Great Britain's National Energy System Operator (Neso) issued a second electricity supply alert this week, asking generators for extra power on Friday evening due to high demand from air conditioning and reduced generation capacity caused by Europe's heatwave.
Britain's grid operator, Neso, is expected to pay millions to secure extra electricity on Wednesday evening due to extreme heat straining the energy system. High demand from air conditioning and low wind generation prompted the payment to avoid a rare summer power supply crunch.
The UK's National Energy System Operator (Neso) has offered grid connections to over 700 clean energy projects, clearing a two-year backlog and enabling nearly 60% of schemes needed for 2030 targets. Reforms prioritize "shovel-ready" projects, boosting investor certainty and aiming to lower energy bills.
Russia launched a massive strike on Ukraine's energy system on June 2, causing power outages in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Cherkasy regions. A production site and infrastructure of an energy enterprise in Kyiv were damaged.
There will still be a need to have gas in the wings to keep the lights on, so the financials stack up on Severn plant purchaseThe eye-catching non-Hormuz news in energy-land last month was that Great Britain is set for a record-breaking summer for wind and solar power generation. The national energy system operator even thought there could be periods – a sunny weekend or a bank holiday afternoon of low demand, for example – when more renewable power would be available than the electricity grid needed.So, on the face of it, it is an odd moment for Centrica, owner of British Gas, to fork out £370m to buy a 16-year-old combined-cycle gas turbine plant in south Wales. After all, the government’s clean power plan imagines that, come 2030, Great Britain’s entire fleet of gas plants will be used to generate only 5% of its electricity, down from 31.5% in 2025. Continue reading...
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsClimate campaigners attack Shell over ‘windfall’ profits from Iran warDanny Gross, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, says Shell’s profits are ‘indefensible’, after the company doubled its quarterly earnings to $6.9bn this morning.Gross says:“Once again, fossil fuel giants are pocketing monstrous profits while drivers are being squeezed at the petrol pump and households are set to pay higher energy bills.“Our fossil fuel-reliant energy system siphons money away from ordinary people to the rich and powerful.“In the twenty-first century we have cheaper, cleaner alternatives that we can use to power Britain without anybody being bombed. We don’t need to let the fossil fuel industry hold us to ransom and pass on the costs of endless wars and limitless pollution.The cost of living crisis, the climate crisis, the middle-east crisis, these are all oil industry operating costs. We need to stop subsidising them, introduce new taxes to make them pay and start taxing their obscene profits properly.”Adjusted Earnings, compared with the fourth quarter 2025, reflected higher contributions from trading and optimisation mainly impacting our Downstream, Renewables and Energy Solutions businesses, higher realised prices, higher refining margins, lower operating expenses and higher Lubricants margins, partly offset by lower volumes.“While people around the world struggle with soaring energy costs, Shell is raking in billions in added profit. The same crisis that is driving these windfalls is pushing millions closer to hunger and hardship.“Governments must act now to tax these excess profits and use the money to protect vulnerable households and expand affordable, homegrown renewable energy. Continue reading...
China exported a record 68 GW of solar panels, cells and wafers in March 2026 – roughly twice February's level – as tensions in the Persian Gulf shipping corridor following US-Israel military strikes on Iran (Feb 28) triggered an energy crisis. The surge, equivalent to Spain's entire installed solar capacity and 50% above the previous August 2025 record, saw at least 50 countries record all-time highs in Chinese solar equipment imports, reflecting rapid expansion across emerging and developed markets.
China has developed the world’s first 10-megawatt vehicle-mounted nuclear power unit, a truck-transportable reactor capable of powering a medium-sized AI data centre. The prototype, developed by the Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology at the Hefei Institute of Physical Science, offers decades of operational lifespan without recharging and can provide power for remote regions, islands, ships, space systems, and emergency backup.
Chris Huhne responds to Nils Pratley's article on UK gas policy, arguing that biomethane represents a third overlooked option between expanding North Sea drilling and increasing LNG imports. He highlights that biomethane is domestic, low carbon, storable and dispatchable, citing the IEA's 2025 Renewables report and examples from Denmark (meeting 40% of gas demand from green gas) and France (20%+ annual growth since 2022). The letter argues the UK lacks political will to scale these alternatives.
