AI & Power Demand: UNSW Canberra is piloting an AI system with Voltval and JT Solar to coordinate rooftop solar and shared battery storage across apartment buildings, aiming to cut operating costs and boost renewable use (TRaCE grant-backed). Grid & Storage Policy: AEMO’s 2026 ISP continues to frame the buildout challenge, calling for nearly 120GW of utility-scale wind and solar by 2050 alongside large-scale storage needs. Energy Security & Markets: US and Iran technical talks in Doha are set to focus on de-escalation and managing the Strait of Hormuz, a key driver for oil and LNG flows that feed into Australia’s energy price outlook. Gas & Geopolitics: Petrobras has started drilling in Brazil’s Equatorial Margin near the Amazon Reef, reigniting spill-risk concerns for biodiversity and nearby fisheries. Infrastructure Investment: India has pledged an extra Rs 30,000 crore to the NIIF to spur investment across energy and digital infrastructure. Renewables Circularity: New research on recycling decommissioned Australian solar panels finds recycled materials can meet raw material requirements, with silver recovery highlighted as a major lever for making recycling viable. Automation on the Ground: Brisbane Airport trialled autonomous robot mowers to cut diesel use and vegetation-management costs while reducing emissions. AI Infrastructure (Regional): Firmus Technologies and Nvidia plan a 360MW Batam AI data centre campus in Indonesia, underscoring the compute-and-power buildout trend hitting the region.