Author: Arnes Biogradlija

Europe’s industrial sector enters 2026 with a stark reality. According to Eurostat, industrial processes still account for roughly one-fifth of EU greenhouse gas emissions, while electrifiable process heat alone represents three-quarters of those emissions. Against this backdrop, the European Commission’s decision to open three new Innovation Fund windows totaling €5.2 billion in EU ETS revenues signals a deliberate shift toward instruments that reward measurable abatement rather than theoretical potential. The emphasis on output-based payments and auction mechanisms reflects the Commission’s growing insistence on cost efficiency and verifiable impact in a year when clean-tech deployment faces high capital costs, supply-chain fragmentation,…

A prescriptive approach to U.S. electricity grid expansion requiring 30% interregional connectivity by 2035 would reduce extreme weather outages by 39% but cost 1.13% more and generate 3.65% higher carbon emissions compared to geographically optimized buildouts concentrated near renewable resources, according to MIT research published in Nature Energy. The modeling analysis, developed using the MIT Energy Initiative’s Gen X framework, evaluates competing legislative approaches, including the BIG WIRES Act co-sponsored by Senator John Hickenlooper and Representative Scott Peters. The study examines fundamental tensions in grid modernization policy where reliability improvements through enhanced interconnection conflict with cost minimization and emissions reduction…

Germany’s parliament approved planning privileges for battery energy storage systems in recent weeks through amendments to the national Building Code, granting rural-area development rights to projects of at least 1 MWh capacity. The policy shift, intended to accelerate storage deployment, now faces potential reversal through a draft Geothermal Acceleration Act that would restrict privileged status to narrowly defined co-located and stand-alone configurations, creating renewed regulatory uncertainty for developers with projects in planning stages. The draft legislation endorsed by the Bundestag’s Committee on Economic Affairs would limit privileged planning status to storage systems functionally linked to renewable installations and stand-alone units…

China’s anthropogenic carbon emissions increased 0.6% in 2024, marking a substantial deceleration from prior growth rates and positioning below the global average increase of 0.8%, according to data released by the China Meteorological Administration. The slower growth trajectory reflects the cumulative impact of renewable energy deployment at scale, though atmospheric concentration measurements indicate continued accumulation of greenhouse gases in line with global trends. The China Greenhouse Gas Bulletin for 2024, published Wednesday by the CMA, provides the fourteenth consecutive year of domestic monitoring data through a network comprising one global baseline observatory, 18 regional stations, and more than 120 observation…

The circular battery economy reached $23.29 billion in 2024 and is forecast to expand to $77.84 billion by 2032, representing a compound annual growth rate of 16.28% according to market analysis. This growth trajectory reflects intensifying pressure to secure critical minerals as electric vehicle adoption accelerates and primary resource concentration creates supply chain vulnerabilities that recycling technologies aim to address. The market expansion occurs against a backdrop of mounting battery retirement volumes. By 2030, approximately 1.4 million tons of EV battery waste will enter recycling streams, escalating to more than 8 million tons by 2040. These volumes create feedstock for…

A state-of-the-art electrolyser manufacturing facility near Hamburg operates at a fraction of its potential. Industrial robots assemble proton exchange membrane electrolysers with precision, yet Quest One’s plant remains understaffed after cutting 20% of its German workforce earlier this year. The reason is stark: demand for the equipment needed to produce green hydrogen has failed to materialize at anticipated levels. The disparity between expectation and market reality defines Germany’s green hydrogen sector in 2025. Quest One’s executive vice president for customer operations, Nima Pegemanyfar, frames the challenge without ambiguity: the market is not developing organically, and supply capacity far exceeds actual…

Battery energy storage capacity in the United States expanded by 13,809 MW over the past 12 months, representing 59.4% annual growth according to Energy Information Administration data. This acceleration positions storage as the second-largest source of capacity additions by absolute megawatts, trailing only utility-scale solar’s 31,620 MW, while substantially outpacing the 3,417 MW contributed by natural gas generation. The growth trajectory shows no signs of moderating. EIA projections indicate developers will commission an additional 22,053 MW of battery capacity within the next year, a 60% increase over the current deployment rate. This expansion occurs against a backdrop of continued net…

The U.S. Department of Energy has allocated $400 million to the Tennessee Valley Authority for the deployment of GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s BWRX-300 small modular reactor at the Clinch River Site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The funding, announced December 2, 2025, targets commercial operation in the early 2030s, positioning the project as the nation’s first operational commercial SMR if regulatory and construction timelines hold. The grant flows through DOE’s Generation III+ SMR program and follows TVA’s May 2025 construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik characterizes the BWRX-300 as the only commercial SMR…

Nearly 30 federal energy-efficiency standards issued in recent years — carrying an estimated compliance cost exceeding 60 billion dollars — are now at the center of a congressional effort to reverse course. As the House Energy and Commerce Committee prepares to advance a slate of deregulatory energy bills, Republican lawmakers argue these measures will curb costs and restore consumer choice, while Democrats warn of higher long-term energy use and diminished environmental performance. The committee is set to vote on seven Republican-backed proposals that collectively challenge the federal government’s role in dictating efficiency benchmarks for appliances, building systems, and fuel choices.…

Global capital expenditure in geothermal energy is projected to increase approximately 20% annually through 2030, according to Rystad Energy analysis. This expansion marks a geographic shift beyond established markets in Southeast Asia and the United States, with Africa and Europe emerging as significant deployment regions driven by distinct demand profiles and technology applications. The investment acceleration occurs amid widening recognition of geothermal’s baseload generation characteristics, though cost structures and capital allocation patterns reveal substantial variations between electricity-focused and heating-oriented projects. Regional divergence in technology priorities creates distinct market dynamics that will shape project economics and investor returns over the coming…