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This image, from March 2022, shows wind turbines and gas storage facilities in Germany. Europe’s energy markets have experienced turbulence in recent months.

Jan Woitas | Picture Alliance | Getty Images

The CEO of Italian power firm Enel told CNBC Tuesday that turbulence in energy markets was likely to persist for some time.

“Things are extremely turbulent, as they have been the whole year, I would say,” Francesco Starace said.

“The turbulence we’re going to have will remain — it might change a little bit, the pattern, but we’re looking at one or two years of extreme volatility in the energy markets,” he added.

Starace’s comments, made on the sidelines of Goldman Sachs’ Carbonomics conference in London, come at a time of uncertainty for the energy sector following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Feb. 2022.

Russia was the biggest supplier of both natural gas and petroleum oils to the EU in 2021, but gas exports from Russia to the European Union have slid this year.

“Despite available production and transport capacity, Russia has reduced its gas supplies to the European Union by close to 50% y-o-y since the start of 2022,” the International Energy Agency said in its Gas Market Report last month.

“In the current context, the complete shutdown of Russian pipeline gas supplies to the European Union cannot be excluded ahead of the 2022/23 heating season — when the European gas market is at its most vulnerable.”

Read more about energy from CNBC Pro

Given this fall in Russian imports, major European economies have been attempting to shore up supplies for the colder months ahead. According to data from industry group Gas Infrastructure Europe, the EU’s gas storage is estimated to be 93.9% full.

During his interview with CNBC, Enel’s Starace painted a mixed picture when it came to gas storage.  

“I think we will get through the winter because of all the storage we were able to fill in, and then we’ll find out that we’ll have to refill the storage for next winter … without Russian gas,” he told Steve Sedgwick.

“Let’s not forget we had it in ’22 — less and less — but we had it,” Starace said, adding that a huge amount of work was needed in the coming months. “Too many things need to happen so that next winter is safe.”

He said Europe needed to save gas “every time we can, consume less of it, get rid of those uses of gas that make no sense and leave it for the industry that needs it.”

This was the “big fight that we have to really focus on during ’23,” he added.

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Iberdrola CEO Ignacio Galan said he broadly agreed with Starace, adding that he expects the volatility in oil and gas markets to continue over the next few months.

“But I think what we need … is to accelerate, as much as we can, the construction of infrastructures in electricity,” Galan told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe,” referencing both renewables and interconnections. “I think we are far from what is needed.”

He went on to stress the importance of reducing reliance on third countries and third parties in favor of boosting self-sufficiency within Europe.

“The only way for that … is to accelerate our investment in more renewables, in more interconnections, in more digital grids,” Galan added.

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California set to BAN Tesla sales, Vietnam leads the way, and VW value tanks

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July 21, 2025

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California set to BAN Tesla sales, Vietnam leads the way, and VW value tanks

The State of California is moving to ban the sale of Tesla cars amid claims that the company and its CEO, Elon Musk, have misled buyers about the self-driving capabilities of their cars. We’ve also got market-leading news out of Vietnam and a pricey, pricey lesson for one VW ID.Buzz buyer on today’s lesson-learning episode of Quick Charge!

We also ask what this might mean for the recent Uber/Lucid autonomous taxi tie-up and go through a full rundown of the fastest depreciating EVs on the market (and yes, there are four Tesla models in the top 10 … because the Cybertruck was too new to qualify).

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (most weeks, anyway). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

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Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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Sunrun’s 37,000 home batteries are bailing out Puerto Rico’s grid

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July 21, 2025

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Sunrun’s 37,000 home batteries are bailing out Puerto Rico’s grid

Sunrun residential solar battery storage
Image: Sunrun

Sunrun is putting tens of thousands of home batteries to work in Puerto Rico as the island’s electric grid faces a summer of high temperatures and energy shortfalls.

The company says it’s now dispatching energy from over 37,000 residential batteries to help grid operator LUMA keep the lights on. That stored power is being used to prevent rolling blackouts when demand spikes and centralized power plants can’t keep up.

Sunrun’s emergency power contribution has grown more than tenfold since last summer. LUMA expects more than 75 energy shortfall events between now and October, with each dispatch sending electricity to the grid for four consecutive hours. During several recent evenings, Sunrun and other virtual power plant (VPP) operators provided enough energy to offset a 50-megawatt generation gap, LUMA said.

Sunrun CEO Mary Powell said Puerto Rico’s aging infrastructure and intense weather patterns make home battery support increasingly critical:

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It’s going to be a very difficult summer, which is why Sunrun has ramped up our dispatch capabilities, using tens of thousands of home batteries to support the grid and people of Puerto Rico.

She added that distributed power plants like Sunrun’s serve the same role as natural gas peaker plants – offering fast, reliable power during high-demand moments – but with clean energy.

Sunrun customers enrolled in the VPP will get paid too. Each participating battery earns about $200 minimum for the season, and customers who allow more of their stored energy to go to the grid earn even more. Sunrun also earns revenue for operating the VPP.

Read more: The US’s largest virtual power plant now runs on 75,000 home batteries

The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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Volkswagen is practically giving away the ID.4 with leases as low as $99 a month

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July 21, 2025

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Volkswagen is practically giving away the ID.4 with leases as low as a month

Volkswagen-ID.4-leases-$99

Volkswagen is advertising ID.4 leases starting at just $99 a month. It’s hard to find any car lease these days for under $100 a month, but for $45,000 electric SUV, it’s almost unheard of.

Volkswagen offers ID.4 leases as low as $99 a month

The Volkswagen ID.4 was the third top-selling EV in the US in January after the 2025 model year went back on sale.

Volkswagen’s electric SUV starts at $45,095 with an EPA-estimated driving range of 291 miles. It’s available in five different trims: Pro, AWD Pro, Pro S, AWD Pro S, and AWD Pro S Plus.

The base 2025 VW ID.4 Pro RWD is equipped with 282 hp from a single rear electric motor. Inside, it features a 12.9″ infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, and Volkswagen’s new ID.Cockpit digital instrument display.

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Upgrading to the AWD version will gain a tow hitch and an additional 53 hp, for a combined maximum of 335 hp. The added power comes at the cost of some range, with an EPA-estimated range of 263 miles.

Volkswagen-ID.4-lease-$99
Volkswagen ID.4 (Source: Volkswagen)

Volkswagen was already offering 2025 ID.4 leases as low as $129 a month, but some dealers are listing it for even less this month.

Volkswagen-ID.4-lease-$99
(Source: VW of Garden Grove)

A California dealership, Volkswagen of Garden Grove, has the 2025 ID.4 Pro RWD listed for lease at just $99 per month. The offer is for 24 months with $2,995 down. According to the dealer, the offer includes a $5,000 cash back bonus, good on a new ID.4 purchase or lease.

We thought the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 was a good deal with leases starting at just $179 per month, but for $99, now that’s a steal.

Looking for deals on the Volkswagen ID.4 near you? You can use our link to find and view offers on the 2025 Volkswagen ID.4 in your area (via a trusted affiliate link)

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