Author: Arnes Biogradlija

With the European Commission’s second Union list of Projects of Common Interest and Projects of Mutual Interest, hydrogen infrastructure has grown from a niche category to a core element of energy planning. More than 130 transmission projects and over 500 hydrogen-related proposals now populate European maps. Still, only a select fraction carries the coveted PCI/PMI status, raising questions about how such designations are granted and whether they target true system-critical investments or speculative bets on future market growth. From first to second list: scaling up and narrowing down The first PCI list under the revised TEN‑E Regulation included 65 hydrogen…

Global final energy consumption has grown 1.8% annually over the past two decades while GDP expanded 3.4% yearly, establishing a decoupling trend that electrification could dramatically accelerate. Analysis from the Energy Transitions Commission projects that electrification will reduce final energy demand by 24% over the next 25 years, even as global economic output doubles, challenging conventional assumptions that prosperity growth necessitates proportional energy consumption increases. This efficiency dividend stems from fundamental thermodynamic advantages electric systems hold over combustion-based alternatives, creating cost and carbon reduction pathways that align rather than conflict. The efficiency differential between electric and fossil fuel applications reveals…

The thirtieth UN climate conference in Belém, Brazil, concluded with developed nations committing to triple climate adaptation finance for vulnerable countries by 2035, while systematically avoiding binding language on fossil fuel reduction that over 80 nations demanded. This outcome crystallizes a pattern emerging across recent COP gatherings: financial mechanisms advance incrementally while decarbonization timelines remain deliberately ambiguous, creating a structural disconnect between stated temperature targets and enforceable transition pathways. The final agreement text omits explicit references to coal, oil, or natural gas phasedown commitments, despite coalition pressure from Colombia, Germany, Kenya, and similar economies seeking concrete transition obligations. Energy exporter…

Fluence Energy’s evaluation of India as a battery energy storage system manufacturing hub confronts a market paradox: ambitious capacity projections totaling 411 GWh by FY 2031-32 meet current installed capacity of just 4 GWh as of December 2024, creating a 103-fold expansion requirement within seven years. The gap between forecast demand and operational infrastructure exposes whether India’s BESS trajectory represents genuine grid modernization momentum or premature scaling of production capabilities ahead of confirmed offtake. The US-based BESS provider, controlled by AES Corporation and Siemens, commands approximately 25% global market share through existing manufacturing in the United States and Vietnam. India’s…

The distinction between hydrogen concentration and hydrogen accumulation in subsurface systems represents the central engineering challenge facing natural hydrogen commercialization, a gap that current exploration enthusiasm has largely overlooked. While geological surveys map prospective zones and media coverage amplifies discovery potential, reservoir drive mechanisms and recovery efficiencies will ultimately determine which projects achieve industrial scale production versus remaining geological curiosities. TO LEARN MORE FROM EXPERTS, REGISTER FOR OUR MASTERCLASS Natural hydrogen’s formation mechanisms—serpentinization of iron-rich ultramafic rocks at 200-300°C, radiolysis from gamma-emitting granites, methane pyrolysis at extreme temperatures, and speculative mantle degassing—produce subsurface concentrations through multiple pathways. Yet concentration presence…

French infrastructure developer HDF Energy has committed to a $500 million investment pipeline across Vietnam’s energy and transport sectors, with Ho Chi Minh City positioned as the primary deployment zone for hydrogen-powered mobility and port infrastructure projects. The announcement, delivered Thursday by HDF Energy’s Vietnam country director Tran Khanh Viet Dung to HCMC Vice Chairman Bui Xuan Cuong, marks the most substantial foreign commitment to Vietnam’s nascent hydrogen economy. The investment strategy targets four distinct verticals: a hydrogen-powered river bus network on the Saigon River, green port development at Can Gio, renewable energy systems for the Con Dao Special Administrative…

How an Austrian media executive ignored the “experts,” bought a car online in 2014, and accidentally became an electric mobility prophet In 2014, Franz Liebmann did something that made his colleagues think he’d lost his mind. He spent €100,000 on a car he’d never test-driven, from a company everyone said would be bankrupt within months, using technology the automotive press dismissed as “a toy for showoffs.” Eleven years and 800,000 kilometers later, that car is still running. And Franz? He’s still driving it, with no plans to ever buy another car again. WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW The Moment Everything Changed…

The production cost gap has widened to over 30% between Chinese and European manufacturers, fundamentally reshaping who will control the global automotive industry. The Anatomy of a Cost Crisis Manufacturing a small SUV in China costs approximately USD 7,000 less than producing the same vehicle in Germany or the United States. This gap isn’t primarily about labor rates or energy prices: those factors contribute less than 20% to the difference. The battery alone explains nearly 40% of the manufacturing cost disparity for electric vehicles, with Chinese battery cell prices running 30% lower than in Europe and 20% lower than in…

Oil companies don’t fight EVs with technology—they fight with confusion Ellen Hiep sits in theaters and hears people spreading lies about electric vehicles. She wants to interrupt them. She doesn’t. The misinformation spreads. As head of the Dutch Electric Vehicle Drivers Association (20,000 members) and Global EV Alliance steering committee member (60+ countries), Ellen has learned something critical: The biggest obstacle to EV adoption isn’t technology. It’s the billion-dollar misinformation machine. WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW The Sophisticated Playbook “Big OEMs, big oil companies—they’re not always spreading really bad fake news,” Ellen explains. “It’s about blurring information. Always asking questions so…

Associated British Ports Southampton and BW ESS will develop a battery energy storage system at Marchwood Industrial Park following New Forest District Council planning approval, targeting late 2028 commissioning with a 40-year operational lifespan. The facility’s proximity to Marchwood National Grid Substation enables grid connection with minimal infrastructure extension—a siting advantage that reduces capital costs and transmission losses compared to remote storage deployments. The seven-acre brownfield redevelopment converts obsolete industrial structures into grid-balancing infrastructure as the UK accelerates utility-scale battery deployment to manage renewable energy intermittency. Battery energy storage capacity in Great Britain reached 4.7 GW by mid-2025 according to…