Texas Energy Report NewsClips
Tuesday April 14, 2026
Asterisk (*) denotes news stories that may be inaccessible because portions are behind a paywall
Good morning! Here are today’s Texas Energy Report NewsClips
Oil prices fell Tuesday as traders weighed a U.S. blockade of Iranian shipping and signs that Washington and Tehran could still continue peace talks.
U.S. crude oil futures for May delivery fell more than 2.24% to $96.85 per barrel as of 12:20 a.m. ET. International benchmark Brent for June delivery was down 1.46% at $97.91 per barrel.
“Whether we have further conversations, whether we ultimately get to a deal, I really think the ball is in the Iranian court, because we put a lot on the table,” Vance said in a Fox News interview.
He also noted that an agreement could benefit both sides if U.S. conditions, particularly on Iran’s nuclear program, were met.
Top Stories
USA Today – April 13, 2026
Trump says gas prices could be same or ‘a little bit higher’ before midterms
President Donald Trump said the price of oil and gas could remain elevated before the midterm elections in November, hours after in-person peace talks between between U.S. and Iran failed. “It could be the same or maybe a little bit higher, but it should be around the same,” Trump told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo in an interview on April 12.
The comment came on heels of a record 21.2% spike in gasoline prices, which marked the largest monthly increase in recorded history, according to a report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on April 10. Over the year, gas prices were up 18.9%.
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Oil Price – April 13, 2026
Baker Hughes Sells Waygate to Hexagon for $1.45 Billion
Baker Hughes has struck a deal to sell its Waygate Technologies business to Sweden-based Hexagon for about $1.45 billion in cash, marking another step in the company’s broader effort to reshape its portfolio and concentrate capital on areas it sees as core to long-term growth. The business being sold sits within Baker Hughes’ Industrial & Energy Technology segment and specializes in advanced non-destructive testing tools used to inspect critical infrastructure without interrupting operations. The transaction includes Waygate’s remote visual inspection, ultrasound, radiography, and imaging product lines, along with the unit’s intellectual property, operating footprint, and other business resources.
For Baker Hughes, the sale is less about exiting a weak asset than about tightening strategic focus. The company said the divestiture fits with its value-creation and portfolio-management approach, following three recently completed transactions and alongside its pending acquisition of Chart Industries. Management framed the move as part of a broader push to improve the resilience of earnings and cash flow while strengthening the balance sheet.
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Bloomberg – April 13, 2026
Oil Prices Have Higher to Go, IEA Warns*
Following a dramatic weekend of failed peace talks—tied to a ceasefire one of the parties says isn’t yet in place—the US raised the stakes again in the Iran war, this time with a blockade of Iranian shipping. Oil rose on Monday, with Brent and West Texas Intermediate at a little under $100. Questions remained around confused messaging from the White House, what exactly will be blocked, whether Iran will exact a threatened toll for what it calls “piracy,” and now the possibility of a second round of talks. But one thing does seem more likely than not: as far as energy prices are concerned, the worst is yet to come.
This according to the International Energy Agency, which warned oil prices don’t yet reflect the severity of the unprecedented supply crisis. About 13 million barrels a day of oil supply have been shuttered by the war, with more than 80 energy facilities damaged, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said. The Paris-based agency has already described the current supply disruption as the biggest in history, saying a recovery could take as long as two years. “Prices are already high, but they are not reflecting the severity of the problem,” Birol said. “I think soon we will see they will converge, which is an extremely sensitive issue for the global economy.” As for Donald Trump’s latest effort to squeeze Iran, Nouriel Roubini, chief executive of Roubini Macro Associates, is not optimistic. “A blockade by itself is a game of chicken that I think Iran eventually wins, because they can suffer for a while,” he said at the Greenwich Economic Forum in Hong Kong Monday. “We’ll be in a worse world because we’ll still have higher oil prices, stock markets falling, bond yields higher.”
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Reuters – April 13, 2026
Chevron agrees to asset swap in Venezuela to focus on heavy oil projects*
Chevron signed two key agreements on Monday to expand operations at Venezuela’s vast Orinoco Belt, including an asset swap adding an extra heavy crude area to its main project while returning an offshore gas field and a small crude area, executives and officials said at an event.Chevron The agreements are among the first big expansion deals since the U.S. launched a $100 billion reconstruction plan for Venezuela’s energy sector after capturing President Nicolas Maduro, and a sweeping reform of the country’s main oil law was approved in January, encouraging foreign investment.
The pacts, expected to allow the U.S. major to boost crude output and participation at the OPEC country’s main oil region, were signed by company executives led by Javier La Rosa, head of Chevron’s Base Assets and Emerging Countries, and officials from state-owned company PDVSA in the presence of acting President Delcy Rodriguez. The deals include the increase of Chevron’s stake at one of its joint ventures with PDVSA in the Orinoco, Petroindependencia, to 49% from a previous 35.8%.
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Center Square – April 13, 2026
Record armada of tankers bound for U.S. Gulf to load oil
An unusually large number of crude oil tankers on the open seas has the American Gulf coast as a destination as the ships are redirected to load cargoes bound for markets around the world already experiencing shortages. Second-term Republican President Donald Trump said Saturday on social media that “massive numbers” of “completely empty” oil tankers are en route to the United States to purchase American energy.
“Foreign buyers are voting with their ships: American energy means stability, strength, and freedom from Middle East blackmail,” the president posted on Monday. Shipping data posted by maritime intelligence company Windward shows 171 crude tankers are bound for the U.S. Gulf to load crude oil cargoes, which compares with about 110 in a typical month.
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E&E News By Politico – April 13, 2026
Texas sharpens attacks on solar power
Related: Texas isn’t alone. Republican lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin have proposed restricting new solar development, while a GOP bill in Missouri would ban it until the end of 2027 — Politico
Texas lawmakers and regulators have unleashed blistering new attacks against solar this month, setting up a showdown that could curb renewable energy growth. State senators grilled solar advocates over whether Chinese-made solar panels could give the Communist Party of China the ability to meddle with Texas’s isolated electric grid. The Public Utility Commission of Texas sent a solar and battery project back to a state administrative court, telling El Paso Electric it should consider natural gas or other traditional generation.
And state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said his office filed civil investigative demands with four companies as part of a new initiative to investigate “widespread” fraud among rooftop solar companies. Moves against renewables aren’t new in Texas, which has a history of going after wind and solar every two years when lawmakers meet despite installations across the state. But the timing ahead of the 2027 legislative session — which kicks off in January — is notable because the state is bracing for a surge in power demand from data centers and other large users.
The Latest TERse Tips
Arthur Schechter, Houston attorney, former ambassador to the Bahamas and Metro Chairman, dies at 86 — Houston Chronicle*
A Houston pipeline company plans to move its corporate headquarters to CityCentre from its longtime home at Greenway Plaza after signing one of the city’s largest new leases so far this year — Boardwalk Pipeline has agreed to lease four floors of the former Marathon Oil tower, taking up roughly 143,253 square feet in west Houston within the CityCentre mixed-use development — the move will expand Boardwalk’s Houston office footprint by roughly 45% — Houston Chronicle*
Video: IMF chief warns of global oil ‘shocks’ amid Trump’s Strait of Hormuz blockade — Fox News
A New York appeals court struck down a $16.1 billion judgment against Argentina, overturning a lower court’s order to compensate former shareholders of the nationalized energy giant YPF, a decision that was celebrated by Argentine President Javier Milei — Associated Press
The new book, “Vigil: A Novel,” recounts the story of “a spirit guide that guides the soul of a dying, unrepentant oil tycoon named K. J. Boone through the afterlife, confronting his corporate greed and the environmental damage he caused,” in a “satirical and philosophical exploration of life, death, capitalism and absolution” — an AI recap of the new novel
China Seizes An Island While The World Is Watching Iran — Forbes
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Oil & Gas Texas
The Wall Street Journal – April 13, 2026
Texas Probes Lululemon Over ‘Forever Chemicals.’ The Company Says It Stopped Using Them.*
The Texas attorney general is investigating Lululemon Athletica LULU -0.79%decrease; red down pointing triangle for allegedly using so-called forever chemicals in its workout gear. But the athletic-apparel company said it stopped using the chemicals more than two years ago. The Office of Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement Monday that emerging research and consumer concerns have raised questions about the potential presence of these chemicals in the company’s apparel.
The chemicals, known as PFAS, don’t break down in the environment and accumulate in the body, potentially causing health problems such as cancer and infertility. They have been used in a range of consumer products since the 1940s, from clothing and cosmetics to food packaging and nonstick cookware, often as a slippery coating to repel water or stains. A Lululemon spokeswoman said the company doesn’t use PFAS in its products. It previously had used the chemicals in durable water-repellent garments, which accounted for a small portion of the products it sold. But it phased out the use of the chemicals as of January 2024, she said.
The probe is the latest setback for the Vancouver, British Columbia, company, which has experienced declining sales in the U.S., quality issues and a public spat with its founder, who is pushing for a board overhaul. Lululemon requires all its vendors to regularly conduct testing for restricted substances, including PFAS, by credible third-party agencies to confirm continuing compliance, the spokeswoman said, adding that the company is cooperating with the Texas Attorney General’s Office by providing the requested documentation. The Attorney General’s Office also said it would review Lululemon’s restricted-substances list, testing protocols and supply-chain practices to determine whether its products comply with its stated safety standards.
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Inside Climate News – April 13, 2026
Oil Tycoon Funds Far-Right Candidate Challenging Texas Oilfield Regulator
Jim Wright ran for the Railroad Commission of Texas six years ago as a reformer. But his reforms drew the ire of powerful oil tycoons who are now trying to unseat him. Wright championed the first overhaul of oilfield waste rules in 40 years at the Railroad Commission, the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency. Some independent oil and gas companies criticized the rules change adopted last year. One of those companies, CrownQuest, brought a lawsuit against the Railroad Commission challenging its legality.
CrownQuest’s billionaire founder Tim Dunn is known for targeting Texas Republicans who he does not consider sufficiently conservative. He is now backing Bo French, a far-right candidate, to unseat Wright at the Railroad Commission. French, former chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party, announced his campaign in November 2025 saying he would fight “radical climate change ideology” and “foreign capture” of the industry. Key issues the Railroad Commission regulates, including flaring, injection wells and waste pits, went unmentioned.
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Dallas Morning News – April 13, 2026
Wright casts Railroad Commission race as test of experience vs. polarizing campaign*
For incumbent Jim Wright, his runoff opponent for the Texas Railroad Commission isn’t just inexperienced, he’s unfit for the job. Choosing Bo French, Wright said, would put regulation of the state’s oil and gas industry in the hands of a candidate focused on polarizing issues outside the commission’s work rather than the expertise it demands. “Texas needs a workhorse in this position, not a show-pony who is focused on issues that are wholly unrelated to the important work that we do here at the commission,” Wright said.
French and his campaign did not respond to multiple phone calls, emails and text messages seeking comment. He has campaigned on “stopping the Islamic invasion of Texas” and ending diversity, equity and inclusion’s “stranglehold” on the energy industry, saying those are key concerns for the country. The two Republicans meet in the runoff May 26, a race that has become an increasingly caustic fight over whether the next commissioner should be grounded in energy policy or driven by matters far removed from the agency’s mission.
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KIII – April 10, 2026
Corpus Christi water workshop grows heated over Inner Harbor desalination plan
A city water workshop meant to clarify progress on a proposed Inner Harbor desalination plant instead devolved into a contentious, nearly two-hour exchange among council members, the mayor and residents. No vote was taken during the meeting, but tensions ran high as officials debated not only the desalination project itself, but also the purpose and timing of the workshop.
Council members questioned whether the meeting was necessary, noting the full council is already scheduled to meet in the coming days. “We had to expense staff, time, energy,” District 4 Councilwoman Kaylynn Paxson said. “All of us had to stop our schedules … and we’re not actually anti-desal.” Mayor Paulette Guajardo defended the decision to hold the workshop, saying it was intended to keep the public informed about the status of the project and outstanding issues.
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Houston Chronicle – April 13, 2026
Why are gas prices so high? Houston prices spike with Strait of Hormuz in limbo*
Houston’s gas prices will likely climb higher in the coming week after failed ceasefire talks in the war with Iran continue to snag oil transportation in the Middle East, according to a Texas-based petroleum analysis company. Houston’s average gas price jumped by 4.4 cents per gallon in the last week and stood at $3.79 Monday morning, according to Dallas-based GasBuddy. A ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran last week was supposed to calm the gas inflation, but those talks have since crumbled, once again forcing commuters to pay both the metaphoric and literal price at the pump.
Roughly 20% of the world’s oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast before the war began, but traffic has plummeted during the war as Iran takes measures to control the passage. U.S. officials said they would block all Iranian ports and coastal areas starting Monday after ceasefire talks fell apart over the weekend, the Associated Press reported. Gas prices calmed after the U.S. struck the ceasefire deal with Iran last week, but the renewed escalation will likely reverse the trend, Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said. “The move toward a full blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is compounding global supply concerns and risks further disrupting flows, which pushed oil prices sharply higher in Sunday night trading,” he said in a statement Monday.
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19th/Yahoo! News – April 7, 2026
Is fracking in Texas endangering a day care’s children?
ARLINGTON, TEXAS — In early December, drilling resumed near Mother’s Heart Learning Center. Newly installed gas wells dot property at 2020 S. Watson Road, less than one mile from the day care. One day in December, the sound of fracking machinery was so cacophonous that children couldn’t play outdoors. For gas companies and stakeholders, the project is poised to be an economic windfall. But many Arlington residents and experts say it could come at the expense of the community — especially its children.
In January 2025, the Arlington City Council unanimously approved a permit allowing French oil and gas company TotalEnergies to install 10 new gas wells in East Arlington, which has a heavy concentration of Black and Latinx residents. It marked the first time in over a decade that the city council approved a permit for a new drill site after years of community opposition. Named Maverick, the new site also lies near three schools — Johns Elementary, Adams Elementary and Thornton Elementary. Five wells owned by the same company already occupy the plot of land near the new drilling site, which the company has owned since 2008.
Oil & Gas National & International
The Wall Street Journal – April 13, 2026
Iran War’s Economic Shock Wave Is Expected to Get Even Bigger*
President Trump’s naval blockade of Iran risks further upending a global economy already battered by weeks of war, escalating a regional clash into a worldwide financial shock that could prove more devastating than the fighting itself. The U.S. blockade on ships entering or exiting Iranian ports is set to drain more oil from a tight market, prolong the squeeze on other key commodities flowing through the Strait of Hormuz and inject significant uncertainty into the global economy. Oil prices jumped on Monday. Aluminum prices surged to a four-year high amid fears of prolonged supply squeeze from a region producing nearly a 10th of the world’s supply of the key industrial metal.
The oil shock is already rippling through Asia, forcing some factories to slash production and a small but growing number of gas stations to ration fuel. Airports across the region are starved for jet fuel with no quick fix in sight, and some airlines are already paring back flights. For Gulf states, the damage is shaping up to be the worst in decades—sparking major economic contractions and shattering their reputation as havens for business and tourism. In Europe, the continent’s already weak economic growth is slowing to a crawl.
The U.S., a net energy exporter, is less likely to see shortages, but higher prices at the pump are hitting consumers. President Trump on Sunday conceded that energy prices might not fall soon and could still be higher when voters head to polls in midterm elections this fall. On Monday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the continued closure of Hormuz is “greatly damaging” for Europe. The European Union is working on plans such as temporarily easing its subsidy rules and encouraging member states to coordinate gas purchases, she said
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The Wall Street Journal – April 13, 2026
Blockade Plunges Oil Market Into Fresh Round of Turmoil*
President Trump’s order to blockade Iranian trade through the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s promise to continue to choke the strait are leaving global energy markets in even deeper trouble than they were just days ago. It isn’t clear how ships can satisfy both U.S. and Iranian conditions on leaving the Gulf, according to shipbrokers and analysts. Tehran says international ships need to pay up to get through Hormuz, but Trump said he had instructed the Navy to interdict vessels that have paid a toll. Instead of the prospect of oil flowing again, as many hoped after the cease-fire was struck last week, the blockade stands to remove 2 million barrels of daily Iranian exports from a market already struggling to navigate a historic supply crunch.
The loss of Iranian barrels is likely to intensify a worldwide scramble for crude. Iran’s main customer, China, could join the competition for U.S. and European supplies unless it uses its substantial strategic reserves. Two energy laden ships sneaked through the strait before the 10 a.m. ET start of the U.S. blockade. Tanker owners said on Monday that they would hesitate before sending new vessels through the chokepoint. A Greek shipowner with several ships waiting to enter to load oil for Chinese and Singaporean clients said he would wait. If the Hormuz threats don’t stop in a few days, he said, he will call his ships back. An executive at Cosco Shipping said the Chinese company had five tankers that were set to go through Hormuz this week but has paused those voyages.
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Associated Press/KLTV – April 13, 2026
Trump says US military has blockaded Iranian ports to pressure Tehran
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the American military had begun a blockade of Iranian ports as part of his effort to force Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz and accept a deal to end the war that has raged for more than six weeks. Iran responded with threats on all ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, taking aim at U.S.-allied countries.
That set the stage for an extraordinary showdown that posed serious risks for the global economy and raised the specter that the ceasefire could collapse and the war could resume. Talks aimed at permanently ending the conflict — which began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran — failed to reach an agreement this past weekend. There has been no word on whether negotiations will resume.
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S&P Global Platts – April 13, 2026
US blockade unlikely to change Hormuz shipping hiatus: IMO chief
The US blockade of Iranian ports will do little to change the effective halt in shipping transits via the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran’s control of the key energy shipping route has choked off normal trade flows since late February, the head of the International Maritime Organization said April 13. Following the collapse of US-Iran weekend peace talks in Islamabad, US Central Command started to enforce a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports from 1400 GMT on April 13.
“I don’t see a big change right now in the status quo … A further blockage right now doesn’t really change the fact that there’s no normal trade,” Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said, joining the industry chorus of opposing the imposition of a toll system. “Additional blockade just doesn’t really help anything in finding a solution to the conflict,” he told reporters in the UN agency’s headquarters in London.
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Reuters – April 13, 2026
Peak oil price likely to come ‘in next few weeks,’ US Energy secretary says*
Oil prices are likely to hit their peak “in the next few weeks” once ship traffic resumes through the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Monday. Prices are expected to continue rising until “meaningful” ship traffic resumes through the strait, Wright told the Semafor World Economy Forum in Washington, despite previous comments he made that oil prices would likely come down soon. “We’re going to see energy prices high – and maybe even rising – until we get meaningful ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,” Wright said. “That’ll probably hit the peak oil price at that time. That’s probably sometime in the next few weeks.”
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S&P Global Platts – April 13 2026
Hormuz risks stall tankers despite high rates, yet reopening may flood market
The US-Iran ceasefire might fail to benefit tanker owners despite rising nominal rates in Middle Eastern trades, according to some analysts, as security and legal risks loom large over transits through the Strait of Hormuz. On April 7, US President Donald Trump said he agreed to suspend attacks on Iran’s infrastructure for two weeks, conditional on Iran allowing ship traffic to return to normal at the key waterway handling 20% of global oil flows.
Nominal tanker rates rose following the announcement, as shipbrokers said some Asian refiners and Western traders sought tankers to load from the Persian Gulf for prompt dates. Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed the VLCC rate for shipping from the Gulf to China at $80.69/metric ton on April 10, up from $62.69/mt April 7. The LR2 clean tanker rate for the Gulf-UK/Continent trade rose to $91.11/mt from $88.89/mt.
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Reuters – April 13, 2026
Morgan Stanley maintains oil price forecasts and predicts slow recovery in supply*
Morgan Stanley left its Brent crude oil price forecasts unchanged on Monday, at $110 a barrel for the second quarter of 2026 and $100 a barrel in the third quarter, falling to $80 a barrel in 2027. The bank said it expected oil supply chains to take months to normalise even if a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz can be achieved. Under its base-case scenario, exports through the Strait stay at low levels in April, recover about 70% of lost volumes between May and July, and return to steady-state levels by October.
Oil prices climbed back above $100 per barrel on Monday, as the U.S. Navy prepared to block ships to and from Iran via the Strait of Hormuz, potentially restricting Iranian oil exports, after Washington and Tehran failed to reach a deal to end the war. … Meanwhile, Middle Eastern producers including Kuwait and Iraq have lifted Asia-bound official prices sharply for May. Saudi Arabia set the price of its Arab Light crude to Asia at a record premium of $19.50 a barrel to the Oman/Dubai average.
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Reuters – April 13, 2026
Intergovernmental deal for $25 billion Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline due this year, official
An intergovernmental agreement (IGA) on a planned $25 billion Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline will be signed this year, the head of Morocco’s hydrocarbons and mining agency (ONHYM) said. Agreed a decade ago, the project – known as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline – would run 6,900 km on a hybrid offshore-onshore route with a maximum capacity of 30 billion cubic metres (bcm), including 15 bcm to supply Morocco and support exports to Europe, ONHYM’s Amina Benkhadra told Reuters by email.
The pipeline, which has the backing of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has completed its feasibility study and front-end engineering design (FEED) stages. Following the intergovernmental agreement, a high authority for the pipeline will be established in Nigeria, bringing together ministerial representatives from each of the 13 participating countries to provide political and regulatory coordination, Benkhadra said.
Utilities, Electricity & Renewables
KERA – April 13, 2026
Texas lawmakers held a hearing on data centers. Here are 4 key takeaways
Data centers are popping up around Texas like fire ant hills after a rainstorm. Or maybe like bluebonnets in the spring. Either way, they seem to be everywhere — and more are coming. Their arrival could strain the power grid, raise energy costs and siphon already scarce water resources. Lawmakers and regulators need to prepare for the disruption. But how? Last week, some of the state’s biggest data center developers and operators visited Austin to respond to that question.
As representatives of industry, their answers, predictably, downplayed costs and touted the benefits of the data center boom. But the hearing, conducted by the House Committee on State Affairs, contained some fascinating information and gave an early look into how state leaders may tackle this major issue in the 2027 legislative session.
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Texas Tribune – April 13, 2026
Why More Texans Are Taking Their Power Back
For one family in Houston, the decision wasn’t about saving money, but about getting through a week. When Hurricane Beryl knocked out power across parts of Southeast Texas, some neighborhoods went dark for days. But for Allante Green-McGowan, the lights stayed on. Her home solar and battery system kept her refrigeration running — critical for storing her husband’s medication — while neighbors waited for the grid to come back on.
Another Houston resident, Michael Shepard, powered his home for nine consecutive days after the storm. Stories like these used to be rare. They’re now becoming routine, and they’re the reason more Texans are moving from thinking about energy independence to actually achieving it. The logic for going home solar and battery storage is obvious: hedge against rising energy costs and protect your home when power outages happen. And yet, plenty of people are still waiting.
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Reuters – April 9, 2026
Tesla is developing a new smaller, cheaper EV, sources say*
Three of the people said the compact SUV would be produced in China, and one said Tesla also aims to expand production to the United States and Europe. The car would be 4.28 meters in length, or about 14 feet, two of the sources said. That’s significantly shorter than Tesla’s top-selling Model Y SUV, which is about 15.7 feet long.
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As EV load grows, utilities use managed charging to harness flexibility, lower costs
7.2 million electric vehicles in the United States are simultaneously driving the need for grid upgrades and providing utilities with a powerful tool to defer those expenses. U.S. utilities are working with third-party software providers and automakers to develop and scale managed charging programs that can spread out the EV charging load and avoid creating peaks that stress local systems, helping to defer infrastructure upgrades that drive up rates.
Manufacturers including General Motors, Ford and Rivian also have seen value in these programs and are partnering with distributed resource service providers like EnergyHub, WeaveGrid and Chargescape to improve customer experience and access to these programs.
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The Guardian (UK) – March 31, 2026
Demand for hydropower surges as Trump clamps down on clean energy
Submersible hydroelectric technology deployed across the Great Lakes could become a key cog in clean energy efforts, supporters say, amid surging electricity demand and costs. Home to one of the largest deposits of freshwater on the planet, the Great Lakes region has on its shores some of the largest cities in North America in Chicago, Toronto, Montreal and Detroit, where electricity demand is growing. While none of the five Great Lakes have significant tides or currents to fuel hydropower, several of the waterways that link the lakes do.
Last month the Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC), an entity that has operated submersible hydroelectric projects in Alaska and Maine for years, announced its first urban venture on the St Lawrence River in Montreal, which is set to begin operating two hydroelectricity devices later this year.
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Texas Public Radio – April 6, 2026
New solar tech offers big promise in an uncertain energy moment
As the war with Iran rattles global energy markets and climate change drives the need for cleaner power, solar advocates are pointing to a fast-moving technology they believe could reshape the industry: perovskite-based solar cells. Recent oil-supply disruptions tied to the conflict have pushed up prices and renewed concerns about the risks of relying on fuels vulnerable to geopolitical shocks. At the same time, the International Energy Agency says expanding renewable energy is essential to cutting emissions from some of the world’s most carbon-intensive sectors.
That backdrop is helping build excitement around perovskites, a class of materials that researchers say can absorb sunlight extremely well and convert it into electricity with remarkable efficiency. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the best research perovskite cells now exceed 27% efficiency, while perovskite-silicon tandem cells have reached roughly 35% in lab settings — well beyond the long-recognized ceiling for standard single-junction silicon cells.
Regulatory
Utility Dive – April 6, 2026
Minnesota approves Xcel’s utility-owned battery program
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Thursday approved Xcel Energy’s utility-owned, battery-based virtual power plant, despite objections by clean energy groups and others who argued for opening the program to competition from independent developers. Through phase 2 of the Capacity*Connect program, Xcel will deploy up to 200 MW of energy storage systems across its distribution grid by 2028, with batteries sized from 1 MW to 3 MW. Battery deployment will be done in collaboration with deployment services company Sparkfund, the utility said.
The proposal has been closely watched both inside and outside the state for its potential implications for distributed energy resources. In a statement to Utility Dive, Xcel said it would install “cost-effective battery storage resources at strategic locations on the grid,” such as local businesses and nonprofits, to “help meet increasing demand for electricity, maintain reliable service for our customers, maximize the efficiency of existing infrastructure and support local jobs.”