Author: Clark Savage

WSJ Reports Battery Energy Storage Systems Are Moving to Scale. But What Are the Hidden Catches?

Clark Savage258

The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted how battery energy storage systems (BESS) are shifting from niche applications to meaningful scale in the United States, with residential deployments accelerating particularly fast. Companies like Base Power are installing home batteries at a rapid clip, and broader market data confirm strong growth in both utility-scale and behind-the-meter segments. […]

Continue Reading

Grid Collapse or Energy Reality: Eight Stories That Will Define 2027

Clark Savage184

Energy News Beat Stand Up In a rapidly shifting global energy landscape, the stakes have never been higher. From Texas governors taking unprecedented action on data centers to Houthi attacks disrupting critical shipping lanes, from Europe’s plummeting LNG reserves to the fundamental clash between net zero policies and energy reality, this episode of the Energy […]

Continue Reading

US Oil and Refined Products Inventories Down

Clark Savage463

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories rose last week, but Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) draws and sharp declines in key refined products left overall oil and product stocks tighter, according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Weekly Petroleum Status Report released today for the week ending July 31, 2026. Key Inventory Highlights (Week Ending July 31, […]

Continue Reading

Global Energy Market In Flux with Russia, Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandab Strait and drought in the EU all in play

Clark Savage382

The global energy landscape remains highly volatile in early August 2026, shaped by overlapping geopolitical, security, and climate pressures. Disruptions centered on Russia’s refined product exports, ongoing uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz, escalating risks in the Bab el-Mandab Strait, and a severe drought across Europe are tightening supplies of crude oil, petroleum products, LNG, […]

Continue Reading

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed a halt on new data center connections to the ERCOT grid pending a comprehensive audit of their energy use, water consumption, financing, ownership, and community impacts.

Clark Savage363

This action, announced August 3, 2026, comes roughly three weeks after New York became the first state to impose a temporary statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. It applies to projects seeking to interconnect with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) system and pauses related transmission planning work, including the “Batch Zero” study. […]

Continue Reading

China Approves Eight New Nuclear Plants, Including Four With Hualong One 2.0 Tech

Clark Savage307

China’s State Council approved the construction of eight new nuclear reactor units on July 31, 2026, during an executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Qiang. The projects, spanning four provinces, represent a total investment exceeding 170 billion yuan (approximately $25 billion) and continue the country’s aggressive expansion of nuclear capacity as a cornerstone of its […]

Continue Reading

Hormuz Tanker Traffic Stalls as Attacks Escalate

Clark Savage368

Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has sunk to its lowest level in more than two months as attacks and threats intensify, leaving the world’s most critical oil chokepoint effectively stalled despite intermittent diplomatic noise from Washington. Ship-tracking data show vessel movements—including commodity carriers—plunged after a brief mid-June to early-July uptick tied to a […]

Continue Reading

Qatar, Bessent Signal Progress on Short-Term US-Iran Deal — With Mixed Signals from Iran

Clark Savage345

Oil markets swung lower on Tuesday as Qatar and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pointed to advancing mediation efforts aimed at a short-term arrangement between the United States and Iran, centered on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The chokepoint, which normally handles roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG supplies, has been heavily disrupted since […]

Continue Reading