The Duck Curve#europe
EU picks 77 net-zero projects, Alaska backs NuCube, ITM's record year
The European Commission selected 77 projects for €3.4 billion of Innovation Fund support on October 19, 2026, among them €20.2 million for Minesto's tidal kite array and a heat-only small modular reactor. The same day, Alaska's AIDEA agreed to invest $25 million in microreactor developer NuCube, and ITM Power reported revenue up 68% to £43.6 million for the year to April 2026.
Netze BW automates grid approvals for solar systems up to 15 kWp
Netze BW, the Stuttgart-based distribution grid subsidiary of EnBW, said on October 19, 2026 that it now approves grid connections for photovoltaic systems up to 15 kilowatt-peak automatically in clear standard cases, usually in about five minutes. More than 5,000 requests were approved that way during the introduction phase.
Akaysha refinances for A$1.75bn as Italy raises battery derating
Akaysha Energy said on October 20, 2026 it had refinanced debt on four Australian batteries into a A$1.75 billion portfolio facility from eleven banks. Italy's regulator ARERA on October 14 cleared higher derating rates for new batteries in the 2028 capacity auction, Vattenfall signed Fluence for a 254 MW Brunsbüttel battery and a tolling deal with Vopak, and Metlen and Karatzis opened a 330 MW, 790 MWh battery in Greece.
Global EV sales dip 2% in September as Europe sets a monthly record
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence counts 2.15 million EVs sold worldwide in September 2026, up 17% from August and down 2% year on year, for 15.5 million so far in 2026. Europe set a monthly record of almost 600,000; North America fell 44% and China 18% year on year.
Hy24 to buy Hynamics, Nel's alkaline slump, Finland certifies e-methane
Hy24 has agreed to buy EDF's hydrogen unit Hynamics, with closing possible in the first quarter of 2027, and Nel ASA's alkaline electrolyser revenue fell 91% to NOK 23 million in the third quarter of 2026. Gasgrid Finland issued the country's first e-methane guarantees of origin, Intilion's chief executive said it intends to realize up to 3 GWh of storage projects using CATL sodium-ion batteries in Germany, Austria and Switzerland over five years, and Energy China says it completed the first commercial ship-to-ship green ammonia bunkering.
Ember: national 2030 storage targets reach 822 GW, 45% short of pledge
Ember said on October 15, 2026 that national 2030 energy storage targets sum to 822 GW, up 190% since COP29 but 45% short of the 1,500 GW pledge, with China (460 GW) and the EU (200 GW) over 80% of it. Storage additions hit a record 118 GW in 2025; the targets need 78 GW a year to 2030.
Ember estimates EVs in oil importers displaced $20bn of crude, March-August
Ember estimated on October 14, 2026 that electric car fleets in oil-importing countries displaced 200 million barrels of crude oil, worth $20 billion, from March to August 2026 during the Hormuz energy crisis, led by China at $14 billion and EU member states at $3.1 billion. The figure is a gross counterfactual estimate. Of the 56 countries in Ember's new EV sales tracker, 49 now have a higher battery electric share of sales than the US.
EU sees China hybrid exports cut by over half; Beijing says they can grow
EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said on October 9 that an understanding to moderate Chinese hybrid and plug-in hybrid exports to the EU opens the prospect of cutting them by more than half. China's Commerce Ministry says the arrangement builds upward from the 302,000 hybrids the EU imported from China in 2025. The final decision lies at the European Council on October 15–16.
ITM's Hydropulse signs heads of terms for 150 MW refinery hydrogen plant
ITM Power said on October 12, 2026 that its build-own-operate subsidiary Hydropulse has signed heads of terms with an unnamed European oil refinery for a 150 MW green hydrogen plant under a 10-year agreement. ITM says the project would be its largest commercial commitment to date if it progresses to definitive agreements; a final investment decision is targeted for 2027.
EV4EU V2X project ends; Azores homes cut charging costs 8.6% on average
EV4EU, an €8.99 million EU-funded V2X charging project coordinated by INESC-ID, closed on May 31, 2026 with a bidirectional CCS charging station prototype and pilots in Portugal, Slovenia, Greece and Denmark. Its Azores report puts the average household charging cost cut at 8.6%, ranging up to 14%; the EU's CORDIS summary of October 8, 2026 gives 14% as the average.
Dutch cabinet plans hybrid heat pump standard for boiler swaps from 2029
Dutch Housing Minister Elanor Boekholt-O'Sullivan told parliament on October 7, 2026 that the cabinet intends, from 2029, to make a smart hybrid heat pump or a more efficient system the standard in many cases when a gas boiler is replaced, through a tightened efficiency requirement in the Buildings Decree. Apartment buildings, listed monuments and homes soon joining a heat network are expected to be left out, and publication of the decree changes is foreseen for mid-2028.
Baltic Power, Poland's first offshore wind farm, installs all 76 turbines
Northland Power said on October 7, 2026 that all 76 turbines are installed at Baltic Power, the 1.1 GW offshore wind farm in the Polish Baltic Sea it owns with ORLEN, with over one-third currently generating and commercial operations on track for 2026 at costs aligned with original expectations. The project delivered Poland's first offshore wind power to the grid in July 2026.
ITER's ninth and final vacuum vessel sector arrives from Europe
Europe's last ITER vacuum vessel sector, #2, reached the site in southern France on October 2, 2026, the ninth of nine and, per the ITER Organization, the last of the core tokamak components to arrive. Six of nine sector modules are already in the tokamak pit, and ITER anticipates installing the final one by mid-2027.
EHPA: residential heat pump sales rose 11% in 12 European countries
The European Heat Pump Association said on September 28, 2026 that residential heat pump sales in 12 European countries rose 11% in H1 2026, to around 1,163,000 from 1,048,000 in the first half of 2025. EHPA calls the oil and gas price rise after the Strait of Hormuz closure and the Commission's plans to encourage EU governments to lower electricity tax likely drivers. The release links that sentence to its own March 10, 2026 item on the Commission's Citizens' Energy Package, and cites the July 17, 2026 Electrification Action Plan, which says electricity should not be taxed more than gas.
Envision launches 8 MW onshore turbine with a 175-meter rotor in Hamburg
Envision Energy said on September 25, 2026 that it launched the Model T EN175/8.0, which it calls an 8 MW-class onshore wind turbine, with 8.0 MW rated capacity and a 175-meter rotor, at WindEnergy Hamburg. The release says the turbine is designed for medium-wind-speed sites, can deliver a 2–12% increase in energy yield over existing models depending on site conditions, targets a sound power level of 107 dB(A), and sits on a Model T platform with more than 4,000 units ordered and around 1,500 installed to date; it names no customer, hub height, price, delivery date or certification status.
ENGIE's storage fleet reaches 10.7 GW operating or under construction
ENGIE said on September 4, 2026 that its storage portfolio in operation and under construction has reached 10.7 GW worldwide, counting batteries and pumped-storage hydropower, with 4.7 GW in Europe and 4.4 GW in the United States. July and August 2026 added 1.1 GW / 3.3 GWh of European battery projects across seven countries, led by a 758 MW / 2,156 MWh Polish portfolio assembled through two acquisitions and one adjacent development, scheduled for commissioning in 2028 and 2029.
