Energy & Environment

Hamburg – September 25, 2026 -- Envision Energy has secured an IEC 62443-3-3 Security Level 2 (SL2) certificate from TÜV SÜD for its wind farm control system, covering SCADA, PPC, PLC and industrial network devices. The certification was announced during WindEnergy Hamburg 2026 and extends independently validated cybersecurity capabilities from individual control components to the full wind farm system level.

Certification covers system-wide security mechanisms across SCADA, PPC and PLC

IEC 62443-3-3 is a globally recognized standard focused on system-level security requirements, assessing how components, networks and security mechanisms function together within an overall control system. The TÜV SÜD certificate provides third-party validation that Envision Energy's wind farm control architecture meets these system-level requirements.

Eindhoven, Netherlands – September 25, 2026 -- AlphaESS has launched AlphaQ, an AI-driven energy agent for home energy systems, in Europe for the first time, with partner events in Belgium on September 16 and the Netherlands on September 22.

AlphaQ consolidates energy insights, tariff management and service diagnostics into one interface

The system combines Q Insight, which interprets system performance data for homeowners, with AI Mode, which forecasts electricity prices, solar generation and household demand to optimise battery charging and discharging. The battery's energy plan updates every 15 minutes under dynamic tariff structures. On the service side, AlphaQ uses fault logs and live system data to help installers diagnose issues faster.

Hamburg – September 25, 2026 -- Envision Energy launched the Model T – EN175/8.0, an 8 MW-class onshore wind turbine with a 175-meter rotor, at WindEnergy Hamburg, promising a 2-12% increase in energy yield over existing models depending on site conditions.

Model T platform has already logged 4,000 orders and 1,500 installations

The EN175/8.0 builds on Envision's Model T platform, which has accumulated more than 4,000 units ordered and roughly 1,500 units installed to date. The new unit adds sixth-generation low-noise aerodynamic technology, in-house designed drivetrain components and Galileo autonomous optimization control.

Bogotá – September 24, 2026 -- Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: ECOPETROL; NYSE: EC) named Joaquín Gutiérrez Caballero as permanent Chief Executive Officer, effective September 28, 2026, following a unanimous board vote.

Board replaces interim leadership with unanimous vote

The appointment ends the interim tenure of Camilo Barco, who steps down as CEO effective September 27, 2026. All members of Ecopetrol's Board of Directors participated in the vote, which followed a selection process run by the Board's Compensation, Nomination and Culture Committee under the company's Succession Policy.

Incoming CEO brings 30 years of cross-sector experience

Gutiérrez Caballero holds a degree in Business Administration and postgraduate specializations in Telecommunications Project Management, Telecommunications Law, and Healthcare Services Management. He has more than 30 years of professional experience, according to the company.

Houston – September 24, 2026 -- CenterPoint Energy has secured a $50 million federal award from the U.S. Department of Energy to fund advanced substation technology upgrades across its Greater Houston service territory, making it one of the first U.S. utilities to deploy Siemens Energy's transmission grid-stabilizing systems.

DOE selects CenterPoint under SPARK program to modernize transmission infrastructure

The funding was awarded through DOE's Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades (SPARK) program, which targets modernization of existing electrical infrastructure to meet rising demand and lower electricity costs for roughly 100 million Americans nationwide. CenterPoint said the award will support technology capable of responding rapidly to shifts in electricity demand, helping stabilize service for one of the fastest-growing regions in Texas.

Boulder – September 24, 2026 -- The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) has finalized the program for SOLAR 2026, its national conference running October 19-21 at the Palmer Events Center in Austin, Texas, held in partnership with the Texas Solar Energy Society (TXSES) as the state chapter marks its 50th anniversary.

Themed 'Solar for All, Y'all,' the three-day event will organize sessions around three subthemes: Advancing Access for All, Expanding Education for All, and Addressing New Challenges Affecting All, with the latter track covering data center power demand, artificial intelligence loads, and extreme weather impacts on grid infrastructure.

Woods Cross, Utah – September 24, 2026 -- Sky Quarry Inc. (NASDAQ: SKYQ) has restarted its Eagle Springs Refinery near Ely, Nevada, the only crude oil refinery in the state, after receiving an air permit from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection.

The restart follows the loss of two major West Coast refineries within roughly a year. Phillips 66 ended refining at its Los Angeles plant in late 2025 and Valero wound down refining at its Benicia site in early 2026; together the two facilities had accounted for about 17% of California's refining capacity and 11% of PADD 5 capacity, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

New York – September 24, 2026 -- U.S. oil producers are replacing only 95 barrels of proved developed reserves for every 100 barrels extracted, according to a new white paper from alternative asset manager Kimmeridge, even as natural gas reserve replacement remains above 120%.

Capital efficiency erodes despite operational gains

The industry's three-year value-weighted recycle ratio dropped to 167% in 2025 from 184% in 2019, Kimmeridge found, despite higher revenue per barrel of oil equivalent and continued improvements in corporate costs and drilling efficiency. The report, titled "Shale's Golden Years, Part II: The Cost of Aging," follows the firm's 2024 publication that argued consolidation could offset an aging shale resource base.

Hamburg, Germany – September 24, 2026 -- Gastops has renewed its long-term agreement to supply MetalSCAN oil debris monitoring technology to Vestas Wind Systems A/S, extending a multi-year partnership across the turbine maker's platforms starting January 1, 2027.

Gastops extends turbine monitoring contract with world's leading wind manufacturer

The renewal, announced at WindEnergy Hamburg 2026, continues Gastops' role supplying MetalSCAN sensors for real-time detection of metallic wear within lubricated turbine systems. The technology supports condition-based maintenance strategies by flagging developing mechanical issues before they cause failures, reducing unplanned downtime risk for turbine operators.

Calgary – September 24, 2026 -- Friends of Science Society released a report by retired energy economist Robert Lyman, titled "Climate Monster - The Heavy Hand of Climate Regulation," arguing that Canada's net-zero policies rest on scenarios the climate modelling community formally retired in April 2026.

Ottawa's updated climate report reuses retired warming scenarios, group says

Environment and Climate Change Canada's "Canada's Changing Climate Report 2026" update prompted media claims that climate change is "irreversible." Friends of Science Society says the report continues to rely on the same implausible, high-emissions scenarios used in the 2019 version, which it argues triggered Canada's 2019 declaration of a climate emergency. The group had previously issued a rebuttal, "Climate Change Your Mind," challenging that earlier report's methodology.