Archives April 2026

Apr 17 (BNP): Uttar Pradesh’s hockey programme has recorded a notable rise in performance, winning 21 medals in recent competitions and highlighting the growing strength of grassroots development in the sport.

The steady improvement reflects better training infrastructure, talent identification, and increased focus on nurturing young players at the state level.

Officials and coaches said the progress demonstrates how structured development programs are helping smaller centres emerge as key contributors to India’s hockey talent pool.

The results are also seen as a positive sign for Indian hockey’s long-term future, as more states invest in grassroots coaching and competitive exposure for young athletes.

Apr 17 (BNP): Silver prices rose sharply in futures trade on Friday, tracking positive global cues and improved investor sentiment.

On the Multi Commodity Exchange, silver for May delivery climbed ₹3,371, or 1.36 per cent, to ₹2,51,999 per kilogram.

The rise in prices was supported by a weaker US dollar and easing geopolitical tensions in West Asia, which boosted demand for safe-haven assets in global markets.

Analysts said the metal also gained strength from supportive international trends, as investors reacted to a softer dollar and improving risk sentiment across commodities.

Apr 17 (BNP): India’s current account deficit (CAD) is expected to widen to around 2 per cent of GDP in FY27, even if crude oil prices remain in the range of USD 82–87 per barrel, according to a report by Crisil.

The report noted that external pressures on the trade balance are likely to persist, driven by steady import demand and global economic factors. While stable oil prices may offer some relief, they are unlikely to fully offset the broader structural challenges impacting the current account.

Crisil said that rising domestic demand and continued dependence on imports, particularly in energy, could contribute to the widening deficit.

However, the report also indicated that strong services exports and remittance inflows are expected to provide some cushion, helping manage the overall impact on the external sector.

Overall, India’s external position is expected to remain manageable, though the widening deficit highlights the need for continued focus on export growth and reducing import dependence over the medium term.

The University of Delaware, Exelon Corporation/Delmarva Power and collaborators have released a new report showing that electric vehicles equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology can be profitable for private owners and businesses alike, with data from real electricity markets to back up the claims.

The report is the outcome of a pilot program announced in 2024 by UD, and completed at the offices of Delmarva Power, which is part of Exelon Corporation, to confirm the value of V2G services to the grid. 

Among the key findings: the collaborators report that a V2G-enabled passenger electric vehicle (EV) could earn as much as $3,359 per year, based on 2021-2025 market prices, for storing and supplying energy to the electric grid during times of need, otherwise known as providing grid services. Heavier vehicles, such as fleet vehicles, delivery trucks or school buses, could earn over $9,000 per year, per vehicle. 

That’s a powerful income generator, given that privately owned vehicles are parked 96% of the time, on average, in the United States. Company fleet vehicles — even those operating 40 hours per week remain stationary 75% of the average work week.

The pilot, which included collaborators Ford Motor Company, the region’s electric grid operator PJM Interconnection, and aggregator Nuvve Corp., was tested using a small fleet of Delmarva Power EVs retrofitted with the bidirectional charging technology and a new advanced communications standard. 

The term “bidirectional charging” means that the V2G technology enables electric vehicle batteries to store extra energy from the electric grid when there is a surplus and to discharge that energy back to the grid when it is needed. In this way, V2G-enabled EVs can help the grid stay balanced, strengthening grid resilience and reliability, especially during peak demand and extreme weather events. New PJM rules allow properly certified EVs to provide this balancing and be paid for it and the pilot proved they can meet these requirements and be paid for the service.

For UD Professor Willett Kempton, who invented the V2G technology with colleagues at the University nearly 30 years ago, it’s a pivotal moment. 

“Whether it could scale cost-effectively was an open question, and we’ve proven that it can with the right combination of policies, standards and technology,” said Kempton, professor of marine science and policy. 

For businesses such as Exelon, the report makes clear that V2G technology can help offset the cost of fleet electric vehicles while supporting the electric grid. This is because when the batteries in the parked fleet vehicles are aggregated together, they can function as a virtual power plant. The result is energy storage and supply that is available to the electric grid significantly faster than other conventional power resources, with virtually no wait times needed to power up or down. 

Unlocking a parked vehicle’s earning power

Since Kempton and colleagues pioneered the innovative V2G technology, UD researchers have kept the charge going, accelerating progress on everything from V2G technology development to new automotive communication standards (called LIN-CP) for electric cars. They have advanced policy innovations at the state and federal level to overcome barriers in widespread adoption by enabling V2G technology to compete in electric markets, too.

The recent pilot with Exelon/Delmarva Power and others also revealed that the EV batteries used for V2G remained fully functional after a full year of market operation — with no measured reduction in battery health all while providing pollution-free power.

“Something that might not be obvious to everyone is that these payments are not a subsidy; these EVs are earning money by competing with legacy generators, which is novel in a lot of ways,” said Kempton. “And when you’re participating in the market instead of a fuel-burning generator, you’re also reducing pollution.”

This makes the technology both economically smart and functionally sound in a world where the electric grid is expected to include more renewables in the coming years. 

Kempton explained that most U.S. planned future electricity generation is scheduled to come from wind and solar. This will create greater fluctuation in the electric grid, which means more storage for energy surpluses will be needed. That’s where V2G can help, Kempton said. 

According to Brian Derr, senior analyst, Exelon Technology and R&D, insights from the pilot will inform future deployments and support the company’s broader strategy to enable the clean energy transition while maintaining reliable service for the communities it serves.

“By leveraging existing assets in new ways, Exelon is positioning itself to build a more flexible, resilient and customer-focused energy system,” said Derr.

Accelerating progress toward a V2G industry

Next steps to expand the V2G industry to support the grid will require mass manufacturing to scale up the number of individual cars or fleets that are participating and earning money, Kempton said. 

Until now, changes to V2G-enabled vehicles have been done by retrofitting existing EVs to accommodate the V2G technology. Now with lower-cost standards and realistic market revenue values that can be expected, Kempton is looking at how this becomes adopted in many cars and many charging stations.

“We’ll need at least a few car companies and charging station companies to mass produce this V2G equipment, and to deploy the technology into vehicles in the factory,” Kempton said. “If it is designed in, and mass produced, it’s incredibly cheap, especially when you compare it to the potential yearly revenue.”

At UD, faculty and students continue to play a large role in the work aimed at bringing a fully functioning V2G industry to fruition. Kempton, Rodney McGee and recent graduates John Metz and Catherine Gilman, for example, are focused on policy changes and standards to allow V2G-enabled electric vehicles to provide grid services in more states. Such policies currently exist in Delaware and Maryland. Kempton would like to see this number grow.

Meanwhile, UD postdoctoral researcher Garrett Ejzak and alumnus Go Charan Kilaru are focused on other aspects of the work. Ejzak is developing and testing these new EV technologies, and Kilaru is designing cryptography measures to ensure security protocols for V2G communications. Concurrently, UD students Colden Rother, Jude Borden, Lucia Paye-Layleh and Emmie Rossi are examining ways UD could electrify some of its campus fleets, under the advisement of UD’s Kimberly Oremus, associate professor of marine science and policy, economics, and public policy and administration.

Apr 17 (BNP): India has significantly strengthened its position in the US smartphone supply chain, capturing around 40 per cent share and emerging as a major manufacturing hub, according to a recent report.

The shift reflects a broader realignment in global supply chains, with companies diversifying production away from China and increasingly turning to India for manufacturing and exports.

The report highlighted that India’s growing role is supported by government initiatives, improved infrastructure, and rising investments in electronics manufacturing.

This transition marks a notable change in global sourcing strategies, as companies seek more resilient and diversified supply chains amid geopolitical and economic considerations.

Industry experts believe that India’s expanding manufacturing ecosystem and policy support will continue to drive its growth as a preferred destination for smartphone production and exports.

Apr 17 (BNP): Indian equity markets closed on a strong note on Friday, with benchmark indices posting solid gains, supported by buying across key sectors.

The BSE Sensex surged 504 points, while the NSE Nifty advanced 156 points, reflecting positive investor sentiment through the trading session.

Gains were led by the FMCG sector, which rose around 2.65 per cent, emerging as the top performer. The rally was driven by strong buying interest in consumer-focused stocks, as investors showed confidence in demand-driven sectors.

Market participants also remained encouraged by improving global cues and steady foreign fund inflows, which helped sustain the upward momentum.

Overall, the session reflected broad-based buying, with multiple sectors contributing to the market’s positive close.

Apr 17 (BNP): The global technology industry is undergoing a continued phase of workforce restructuring in 2026, with more than 95,000 employees impacted across 241 companies as of mid-April. This trend follows a significant wave of layoffs in 2025, during which over 245,000 workers were affected across the sector.

The ongoing workforce adjustments reflect a broader transformation within the industry, as companies shift focus toward artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and automation-driven operations. This transition is prompting organizations to realign talent strategies, reduce excess capacity from previous expansion cycles, and prioritize efficiency and profitability.

Major technology firms across software, hardware, and IT services have implemented restructuring measures, impacting a wide range of roles. The increasing integration of AI technologies is also contributing to job consolidation, enabling companies to operate with leaner teams.

Regionally, the effects are most visible in global technology hubs such as the United States, while markets like India are also experiencing shifts, particularly within IT services and Global Capability Centres (GCCs), as companies adapt to evolving global demand.

Despite the current wave of layoffs, industry analysts view this period as a structural transition, with long-term growth expected to be driven by innovation, digital transformation, and the expanding role of AI in business operations.