MUNICH & PFORZHEIM, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 21, 2026--
The current geopolitical situation once again highlights the risks of depending on fossil fuels and the increasing need to transform our energy supply. Solar and wind power have long been established as cost-efficient energy sources, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted a global 2.6-fold capacity growth between 2022 and 2030. Against this backdrop, The smarter E Europe alliance of exhibitions will spotlight the feasibility of a renewable energy system from June 23–25 in Munich. The Special Exhibit Renewables 24/7 uses best practices, presentations and live demos to show how a round-the-clock renewable energy supply can be achieved. To kick off the exhibition on June 23, The smarter E Europe will present an exclusive accompanying study, conducted in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, that dispels common myths about system stability and provides scientific proof that such an energy system is viable. The study, Pathways to a Renewable Energy Supply – uses Germany, where 60 percent of electricity is already generated by renewable sources – as an example to demonstrate the supply security of a renewable energy system in leading industrial nations. More than 2,800 exhibitors and over 100,000 visitors from all over the world are expected to attend Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry.
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Interested visitors can immerse themselves in the special exhibit’s four thematic areas: industry, commerce, residential applications and mobility. In each area you can experience how power generation, storage, flexibilization and digitalization work together. While wind and solar are volatile and do not provide a constant power supply, solutions and technologies are already available today that allow companies, utilities, and consumers to manage fluctuations and surplus generation. “Electricity from solar and wind is already unbeatably cheap. The energy transition is unstoppable and delaying it will only damage the economy. Companies can reduce their energy costs long term and ensure competitiveness through renewable energy. Secure supply is guaranteed through flexibilization, the combination of intelligent storage, digital grid solutions and sector coupling,” says Markus Elsässer, Founder and CEO of Solar Promotion GmbH.
The energy system of the future
The key to transforming the energy supply is the electrification of all areas – from transportation and heat generation to industry. Electrification will act as a driver for innovation and economic growth. This, in turn, will increase added value, much more than through imported crude oil and gas. “With the special exhibit, we will highlight the right topics at the right time, showing that the energy transition is not only possible, but also makes sense from an economic, political and social point of view. It is down to us to seize this opportunity,” says Jens Mohrmann, CEO of Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG (FWTM). The special exhibit will be accompanied by live demos, discussions and expert presentations that will highlight the opportunities and challenges of the renewable energy system.
As Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry, The smarter E Europe unites four exhibitions (Intersolar Europe, ees Europe, Power2Drive Europe and EM-Power Europe) and will take place at Messe München from June 23–25, 2026.
For more information, please visit:www.TheSmarterE.de
The special exhibit will take place as part of The smarter E Europe 2026 from June 23 to 25, 2026, at Messe München. © Solar Promotion GmbH
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he is holding off on a military strike on Iran planned for Tuesday because “serious negotiations” are underway to end the war.
“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I’d be very happy,” Trump said at the White House on Monday evening, after first making the announcement in a social media post.
Trump said he had planned “a very major attack” but put it off — “for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever." He said America’s allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they are close to a deal with Iran.
Trump has been threatening for weeks that the ceasefire reached in mid-April could end if Iran did not make a deal, with shifting parameters for striking such an agreement. Over the weekend he warned, “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.”
The president has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off. But he’s also previously indicated he would hold off on military action to allow talks to continue — only to turn around and launch strikes. That’s what happened at the war’s outset, when he ordered strikes in late February shortly after indicating he would let talks play out.
Trump said the current pause for negotiations was a “very positive development," while acknowledging there were times in the past when a deal seemed close but nothing came of it. “But this is a little bit different,” he said.
The president, who had not previously disclosed that he was planning a strike for Tuesday, did not offer details about the planned attack but said in his social media post he had instructed the U.S. military “to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”
Trump said he was calling off the attack at the request of allies in the Middle East, including the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran and allied Shiite militias in Iraq have launched drone attacks targeting the Gulf Arab states in the war. The United Arab Emirates has recently accused Iran of launching drone and missile attacks despite the ceasefire. On Sunday, a drone strike sparked a fire on the edge of the UAE's sole nuclear power plant in what authorities called an “unprovoked terrorist attack” while not assigning blame.
Trump in recent days has also spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chinese President Xi Jinping about the Iran war.
Trump’s post quickly caused a fall in the price of oil, which had been rising on the prospect of a prolonged standoff that would keep the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed.
Minutes before the president’s announcement, petroleum futures had been trading at $108.83 a barrel. His word about negotiations almost instantly shaved more than $2 off the price, but it crept up again and ended on Monday at $107.25 a barrel.
Shortly after Trump’s post, Iranian state TV called it a “retreat” based on “fear” in its broadcast ticker and on its X account.
It reported earlier that defense systems were activated late Monday on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. It added the situation was “under control” there, the largest Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, home to about 150,000 people and a water desalination plant.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the shipment of oil, gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products. The U.S. is blockading Iranian ports and has redirected 85 commercial vessels from mid-April through Monday, U.S. Central Command said in a social media post.
Earlier Monday, Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the immediate concern of the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran was keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, but Iran’s nuclear program remained a central issue.
Speaking during a joint news conference with his German counterpart in Berlin, Fidan said much of Iran’s enriched uranium that could potentially be used for a nuclear weapon was buried under collapsed tunnels following attacks in June that the U.S. launched with Israel. The U.S. has said it is closely monitoring any movements around the stockpile.
“At present, there isn’t a situation that poses a real threat," Fidan said. “But for this to continue, the parties must reach and conclude a nuclear negotiation among themselves.”
The Turkish minister said he believes Iran is not opposed in principle to complying with nuclear conditions, but added: “the question is what will be given in return, in what order, and under what conditions.”
With talks at a standstill last week, Iran's foreign minister said Friday that a lack of trust was the biggest impediment to negotiations.
Iran, which says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, was said to have included some nuclear concessions in its latest proposal to end the war. But Trump dismissed the proposal as “garbage."
Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Darlene Superville in Washington, Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump speaks about prescription drug prices in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Bakhtiari nomads, wearing traditional dress, hold their guns during a pro-government gathering near the residence where former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, shown on a banner, was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
President Donald Trump gestures to reporters as he walks across the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, May 15, 2026, in Washington, on return from Beijing where he met with China's President Xi Jinping. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
