The EU’s solar power market is set to register this year its first annual decline in capacity rollout since 2025, amid the withdrawal of incentive schemes for rooftop solar in key markets, industry association SolarPower Europe said in a mid-year analysis on Thursday.  Current forecasts point to the EU installing 64.2 gigawatts (GW) this year, down by 1.4% compared to 65.1 GW installed in 2024.  That’s despite estimates that solar output in Europe is soaring and is set to boom in the summer.    “The…

The EU’s solar power market is set to register this year its first annual decline in capacity rollout since 2025, amid the withdrawal of incentive schemes for rooftop solar in key markets, industry association SolarPower Europe said in a mid-year analysis on Thursday.  Current forecasts point to the EU installing 64.2 gigawatts (GW) this year, down by 1.4% compared to 65.1 GW installed in 2024.  That’s despite estimates that solar output in Europe is soaring and is set to boom in the summer.    “The…

The EU’s solar power market is set to register this year its first annual decline in capacity rollout since 2025, amid the withdrawal of incentive schemes for rooftop solar in key markets, industry association SolarPower Europe said in a mid-year analysis on Thursday.  Current forecasts point to the EU installing 64.2 gigawatts (GW) this year, down by 1.4% compared to 65.1 GW installed in 2024.  That’s despite estimates that solar output in Europe is soaring and is set to boom in the summer.    “The…

U.S. natural gas futures fell for a third consecutive session on Wednesday, hitting its lowest intraday level since late April, as new weather forecasts indicate a much cooler weather pattern unfolding across the Lower 48 for the beginning of August.  Bloomberg cited Darrell Fletcher, managing director of commodities at Bannockburn Capital Markets, who noted that one of the most critical technical support levels for NatGas futures, around $3.20, is currently being tested. As of late Wednesday afternoon, the level had been broken, pushing prices…

Oil prices posted modest gains in early Asia trade on Thursday, recovering from a multi-day slump as a sharper-than-expected draw in U.S. crude inventories revived bullish sentiment. However, concerns over potential disruptions to global trade flows ahead of an approaching tariff deadline kept traders cautious. EIA Inventory Report Lifts Oil Prices The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a substantial 3.17 million-barrel decline in commercial crude inventories for the week ending July 19—nearly double analyst expectations. This…

The UK government has raised the maximum prices it is willing to guarantee developers of wind power projects in a bid to reinvigorate investment in renewable energy and keep its ambitious decarbonization targets on track. The increase, announced on July 23rd, underscores the challenges faced by clean energy developers contending with inflation, rising interest rates, and strained supply chains. New Administrative Strike Prices Under the revised terms for the 2025 round of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction scheme — the UK's primary…

Oil prices fell for a fourth straight session on Wednesday, with lingering uncertainty over looming tariffs by the Trump administration continuing to dampen sentiment ahead of the August 1 deadline, which a Mizuho analyst described for Seeking Alpha as “a possible demand destruction event”. The European Union is reportedly exploring potential counter-measures against the U.S. as the deadline approaches, and on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump set a 15% reciprocal tariff on Japan’s exports to the U.S. Japan cut auto duties,…

The latest package of sanctions approved by Brussels with the purpose of making yet another attempt to force Russia to pull out of Ukraine, focuses on energy. The argument: income from energy exports fuels the war. The problem: there is no sanction package that the EU can come up with that can stop Russian energy exports. When the EU first banned Russian oil imports and set a price cap for Russian oil exporters should they wish to use Western vessels and insurance, Indian refiners must have cheered. India imports 85% of the crude it uses. Once…

Although the outlook on oil prices and demand has become increasingly uncertain in recent months, analysts continue to recommend the underperforming energy stocks as a good bet for investors. Energy has the highest share of the stocks with “buy” recommendations of all 11 sectors of the S&P 500, according to ratings from Wall Street analysts compiled by Bloomberg. Many experts cite the cheap valuations of the energy sector and the pro-oil and gas policies of the Trump Administration as key drivers of future stock growth. Moreover,…

Kazakhstan has unveiled an ambitious new energy strategy that will triple its petroleum product exports by 2040, with refined fuel volumes set to hit 39 million tons per year, up from 17 million now, with export share rising to 30% of total output. The sweeping 2025-2040 plan marks a sharp departure from previous government policy, which capped fuel exports at just 10% under a 2024 draft framework. The revised strategy, approved this week by the cabinet, emphasizes downstream development as a top priority, particularly with respect to expanding…

California officials are stepping into the fray to urgently find a buyer for Valero’s Benicia refinery before its scheduled closure in April 2026, a rare move that underscores the state’s growing anxiety over fuel security and price volatility. According to Reuters, in an exclusive report on Wednesday, the state has opened talks with potential buyers, including HF Sinclair and at least one unnamed European energy firm, to take over the Bay Area facility and preserve in-state refining capacity. The 149,000 barrels-per-day refinery is…

California officials are stepping into the fray to urgently find a buyer for Valero’s Benicia refinery before its scheduled closure in April 2026, a rare move that underscores the state’s growing anxiety over fuel security and price volatility. According to Reuters, in an exclusive report on Wednesday, the state has opened talks with potential buyers, including HF Sinclair and at least one unnamed European energy firm, to take over the Bay Area facility and preserve in-state refining capacity. The 149,000 barrels-per-day refinery is…

BP announced in February that it was doing a U-turn on plans to broaden its portfolio to include a range of renewable energy projects, and to instead focus on its primary oil and gas business. This was unexpected, as many oil majors have invested heavily in diversifying their energy mix in recent years, with rising pressure to decarbonise to support a global green transition. Five months on, BP has appointed a new chair to oversee the shift back to fossil fuels. BP’s CEO, Murray Auchincloss, announced plans for a “fundamental reset”…

Protests have erupted for a second night in the Iranian city of Sabzevar, as residents took to the streets over prolonged electricity and water outages during a record-breaking heatwave. Security forces reportedly fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators, who chanted “no water, no power”, while temperatures soared above 48°C, according to Iranian media reports. The unrest highlights growing infrastructure stress as Iran faces its hottest summer in decades. Officials declared a public holiday on Tuesday in Tehran and at least 10…

Protests have erupted for a second night in the Iranian city of Sabzevar, as residents took to the streets over prolonged electricity and water outages during a record-breaking heatwave. Security forces reportedly fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators, who chanted “no water, no power”, while temperatures soared above 48°C, according to Iranian media reports. The unrest highlights growing infrastructure stress as Iran faces its hottest summer in decades. Officials declared a public holiday on Tuesday in Tehran and at least 10…

On Wednesday morning, the accountancy regulator announced that it has launched an investigation into Deloitte over audits related to the FTSE 100 giant Glencore. Glencore is one of the world’s largest commodity trading houses. Its operations span coal mining, energy trading and shipping, and it trades hundreds of billions of dollars in commodities every year through its trading and marketing arm. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) commenced its probe into the statutory audits conducted by Deloitte of the financial statements of Glencore…

Russia’s natural gas production fell 3.2% in the first half of 2025, reaching 334.8?billion cubic meters (bcm), as higher exports to China and increased domestic demand failed to offset the collapse of pipeline flows to Europe, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. The drop, confirmed by federal statistics and Bloomberg analysis, reflects the structural impact of Ukraine’s January decision to terminate its gas transit deal with Moscow. That route had accounted for over 15?bcm in 2024, making it the last significant corridor to the EU following…

Russia’s natural gas production fell 3.2% in the first half of 2025, reaching 334.8?billion cubic meters (bcm), as higher exports to China and increased domestic demand failed to offset the collapse of pipeline flows to Europe, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. The drop, confirmed by federal statistics and Bloomberg analysis, reflects the structural impact of Ukraine’s January decision to terminate its gas transit deal with Moscow. That route had accounted for over 15?bcm in 2024, making it the last significant corridor to the EU following…

The total volume of oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz stands around a staggering $600 billion. While a blockade of the strait is considered a distant possibility, its closure could ripple across global supply chain networks. In particular, Japan, China, and India would be impacted the most. Furthermore, a shock to oil prices would likely affecting production costs, in turn raising the price of consumer goods. This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Dorothy Neufeld, shows the most vital oil transit chokepoints, based on data from MUFG. The…

Germany’s offshore wind power installations stagnated in the first half of 2025, with 9.2 gigawatts (GW) as of June 30, the same as at end-2024, German industry associations said, calling for major changes in tender terms and pricing to revive the stalled sector.  Still, offshore wind turbines with a total capacity of 1.9 GW are currently under construction, said the German wind energy association, Bundesverband WindEnergie (BWE), and several other sector groups, citing research they have commissioned to consulting firm Deutsche WindGuard. …