Germany will allow electricity grid operators to restrict power supply to heat pumps and electric vehicle (EV) chargers during bottlenecks. The grids are often not fit to supply such power-hungry devices, a reason why some operators have refused to connect them in the past. In turn, the state will now require grid operators to provide such connections.

The UK wants to build 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030 but needs a stable backup for periods when it is not windy. Now, Britain’s grid operator is incentivizing short-duration batteries of about 2-hours. The risk is that the capacity will have to be built twice, replacing shorter duration projects, which will mean even longer queues for grid connections.

Around the world, developers of renewable energy projects are told to wait up to 15 years before they can plug projects into grids that are struggling with shifts in electricity generation. 80 mln km of new grid is needed by 2050, more than the entire global grid today. In the UK, Spain and Italy more than 150GW of projects per country are stuck.

APG, one of the world’s largest asset managers, said its pension fund clients were shying away from China due to geopolitical risks. The comments come as other large pension funds pull back from China. European markets have gained more allure for investors. APG is no longer pulling money out of Europe and exploring new asset classes.

US company Helion Energy will provide Microsoft with electricity in about 5 years. Government labs and more than 30 companies are racing to generate power from fusion, which generates power without producing radioactive waste. While many companies aim to use hydrogen isotope tritium to fuel reactions, Helion plans to use a rare gas Helium 3.

The grid was built for conventional power stations that drive turbines that create a reliable 50Hz signal and they never stop dead. The grid now has to manage non-conventional sources of power that are not regular, constant, nor predictable and they are located far away from cities. The IEA says the world needs to spend $600 billion a year on the grid.

Regions from Scotland to south-west England have the right geology to potentially yield 18 minerals, including cobalt and lithium, according to the British Geological Survey. Any discoveries would take 10-15 years to yield metals on an industrial scale and the UK would also need to develop domestic mineral processing and manufacturing industries.

Investors have bet that the Japanese central bank will increase its rate. That has led to higher Japanese bond yields. Japan’s life insurers, with assets of $2.9 trillion, sold a record $107 billion of foreign bonds sending a chill through foreign bonds markets. The next wave of foreign bond reductions could more squarely hit corporate bond demand.

Influx of cash following a crisis at regional lenders failed to offset the steady outflows to money market funds that now hold a record $5.2 trillion from $4.6 trillion a year ago. Due to high interest rates, banks earn more on loans, but will need to start offering higher rates to depositors, which will lower their profits. The turmoil has also weighed on bank stocks.

Inflation-linked US Treasury Series I bonds sales topped $40 billion as investors looked for ways to shield their cash from rising prices. The interest rate has two parts. The fixed rate is set by the Treasury for the entire lifetime of the bond. The variable rate is set twice a year and depends on the consumer price index. Each American can buy up to $10,000.

Money market funds (MMFs) invest in short-term debt products. In Europe, investors put €17.7 bln into MMFs in March, much less than $367 bln in the US. European MMFs have grown to €1.5 tln. Only around 40% are denominated in euros and they are focused more on bank debt than treasuries. Taking euros out of banks to put it in MMFs is pointless.

Companies sponsoring well-funded pension schemes can offload their obligations to insurance companies. 5,200 boards of trustees, with advisers and managers will be replaced by 8 insurers. Illiquid assets that are difficult to value, and processing of data of so many people will slow down this process, but the UK's financial landscape will change.