World:
¶ “This European Country Is Promising ‘Bargain’ Energy On Sunny Days To Use Up Excess Solar Power” • In the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, renewable electric generators are increasingly being paid to shut off when supplies become so high that they outstrip demand. But could it be cheaper to give the surplus energy away for free? [Euronews]
Wind turbines (jef van hoof, Unsplash)
¶ “Iran War Sparks EU Proposal To Reduce Tax On Electricity And Encourage Green Transition” • Electricity is taxed far higher than fossil fuels are. Could an EU proposal finally reverse this? A draft European Commission proposal, due to be published on April 22, outlines measures to curb energy bills, according to a report by Reuters. [Euronews]
¶ “China Set New Records In Trade And Investment In Central Asia In 2025” • China’s trade with five Central Asian countries hit a record in 2025, and the relationship has moved well beyond buying and selling. Chinese companies are becoming partners in strategic projects across high-tech industries including energy and mining. [Euronews]
Grazing horses in Kyrgyzstan (Natalia Slastnikova, Unsplash)
¶ “Tax Oil Companies’ Windfall Profits, Says European Civil Society” • A group of 31 European NGOs, including Oxfam, WWF, CAN Europe, and T&E, have called on the EU to tax excess oil profits. The NGOs are calling for funds to be targeted towards shielding vulnerable households and supporting the clean energy transition. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “LNG Shock, Coal Myths, And The Real Winners On The Grid” • With the Iran War going on, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air’s March 2026 analysis of real-time electricity data found that global fossil generation fell 1% year on year, with coal roughly flat and gas down 4%. It was not the global coal rebound many people expected. [CleanTechnica]
Tanker (Athanasios Papazacharias, Unsplash)
¶ “ReNew Commissions 2.4 GW Of Renewable Energy Capacity In FY2026” • ReNew Energy Global Plc has commissioned about 2.4 GW of assets in FY2026, taking its total Indian operating capacity to roughly 12.6 GW. The capacity of 2.4 GW includes 1.75 GW of solar, 0.62 GW of wind, and 25 MW, 100 MWh of battery energy storage systems . [Yahoo Finance]
¶ “RWE Signs Network Rail Wind PPA” • RWE has signed a corporate power purchase agreement to supply UK government-owned Network Rail with offshore wind power for its depots, offices, and stations. RWE said it will deliver 300 GWh annually of renewable electricity over five years from the 576-MW Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm off North Wales. [reNews]
Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm (RWE image)
¶ “The Nuclear Renaissance Is Real In Politics. It Doesn’t Exist As Construction” • The countries declaring the renaissance are not the countries building it. Of 40 reactors that started construction globally in 2020 to 2024, 97% were in China and Russia. Western vendors – Westinghouse, EDF, the companies whose flags flew at COP28 – had zero new starts. [Energy Monitor]
¶ “Enfinity Signs 1.8 TWh Of Italian Energy Deals” • Enfinity Global has signed bilateral agreements with Feralpi, ISAB, De Angeli, and Magis Energia. The agreements total 1.8 TWh under Italy’s Energy Release 2.0 mechanism. The company said the agreements will support the deployment of approximately 120 MW of new solar PV capacity in Italy. [reNews]
Solar farm (Enfinity Global image)
US:
¶ “As Energy Costs Rise, Some States Back Off Their Climate Goals” • Several states, particularly in the Northeast, are trying to balance support for clean energy policies with an imperative to deliver “affordability” agendas. Some reassess clean energy goals, while others look at shaving extra charges on utility bills that help fund efficiency programs. [ABC News]
¶ “US Faces Demand To Restore $350 Million In Funding To Help Power Puerto Rico” • Nearly 200 organizations are urging the Trump administration and Puerto Rico ’s governor to restore $350 million in federal funding meant to finance the installation of rooftop solar and battery systems for 12,000 low-income families in Puerto Rico. [ABC News]
Rooftop solar (Lara John, Unsplash)
¶ “US EV Market Down 27%, Worst First Quarter Since 2022” • After Donald Trump and Republicans took over, they killed federal EV incentives. Now we can get a sense of the effect this has had on the market. Overall, the EV share of the US auto market was 5.9% in the first quarter of 2026, down from 7.6% in Q1 2025 or 7.2% in Q1 2024. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “New Analyses Find Overwhelming Opposition To Wisconsin Data Centers Across The State” • Sierra Club Wisconsin, along with other groups, looked at comments from two Public Service Commission cases. They found that Wisconsin residents across political affiliations strongly dislike data centers, citing concerns around affordability, energy, and water. [CleanTechnica]
Data center (Google image)
¶ “National Lab Of The Rockies Plans To Remove Iconic Wind Turbines Months After Scrubbing ‘Renewables’ From Its Name” • The National Laboratory of the Rockies, a research hub formerly known as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, is getting set to remove some of the iconic wind turbines from its Flatirons Campus south of Boulder. [Colorado Public Radio]
¶ “Abandoned $9 Billion+ VC Summer Nuclear Plant In South Carolina Scheduled For Restart Construction” • The abandoned $9+ billion Summer nuclear plant in South Carolina is scheduled for restart construction in recent updates. State-owned utility Santee Cooper says its plans is moving forward and employees are already on site. [Construction Review]
Have a radically refreshing day.
geoharvey 