Author: Arnes Biogradlija

The Netherlands has committed €19.3 million through the Dutch Research Council and National Growth Fund programme GroenvermogenNL to the HyFINE consortium, a collaboration targeting the decarbonization of specialty and fine chemical manufacturing. Combined with €2 million in co-funding and €2.8 million in-kind contributions, the €24.2 million initiative reflects growing recognition that current production pathways for high-value chemical intermediates present both economic and environmental liabilities that incumbents must address. Specialty and fine chemicals constitute a segment characterized by low production volumes, high margins, and complex synthesis routes. These compounds serve as essential precursors in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, advanced materials, and other sectors…

Calgary-based Eavor Technologies has connected its Geretsried facility to the German grid, representing the first commercial deployment of closed-loop multilateral well geothermal technology. The milestone arrives as European nations accelerate baseload renewable capacity additions, though the economics and scalability of closed-loop systems remain under industry scrutiny. The Geretsried project distinguishes itself from conventional geothermal through its closed-loop architecture, which eliminates the need for water sourcing, treatment infrastructure, and periodic redrilling cycles that typically burden open-loop installations. This design choice addresses two persistent cost drivers in geothermal operations: formation water management and production decline over time. Whether these theoretical advantages translate…

If you listen to most conference panels, natural hydrogen sounds like a miracle waiting to be monetized. A geological cheat code that will let us skip expensive electrolysers and political headaches. Then the hype cooled, investors left, and the sector was treated like an interesting geological rumour again. WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE But Vitaly Vidavskiy does not work on rumours. For him, natural hydrogen is neither miracle nor myth. It is a hard confrontation with scientific dogma, outdated exploration models, and investors who want certainty in a world that cannot offer it yet. Vitaly has lived inside this story…

Global energy sector employment rose 2.2 percent last year, reaching 76 million workers and nearly doubling the pace of job growth seen in the wider global economy. The sector has added more than 5 million jobs since 2019, accounting for 2.4 percent of all net employment growth worldwide, underscoring its position as one of the most durable engines of labour demand during a period of economic uncertainty. Electricity-related industries continue to drive the expansion. Power sector employment climbed to 22.6 million workers and has now overtaken fuel supply as the largest employer in the energy system. Solar PV remains the…

Europe could cut energy system costs by more than 560 billion euros between 2030 and 2050 by shifting to integrated infrastructure planning, according to new modelling prepared for Agora Energiewende. The savings rise to 750 billion euros when reduced back-up generation needs are considered, underscoring how structural planning choices can materially influence the cost and pace of the continent’s transition to climate neutrality. The findings, derived from a detailed co-optimisation model developed by Fraunhofer IEG, Fraunhofer ISI, and d-fine, quantify what policymakers have only loosely acknowledged so far. Europe’s fragmented infrastructure governance is leaving substantial cost efficiencies unrealised, delaying deployment…

Artificial intelligence has entered a phase of rapid capability expansion without a corresponding increase in governance maturity. Since 2017, model scale has grown by several orders of magnitude, and frontier labs are now developing systems that increasingly display metacognition, strategic reasoning, and autonomous tool use. Yet the underlying institutional structures shaping this technological acceleration remain largely unchanged. The tension between capability growth and governance paralysis lies at the centre of what AI theorists describe as the gorilla problem: a species-level asymmetry in which weaker agents lack the capacity to constrain stronger ones. As development progresses toward advanced general intelligence, this…

Hydrogen reached 110 billion dollars in committed capital in 2025, a tenfold increase since 2020, positioning it among the fastest-growing segments of the clean energy transition. Discussions at H2MEET in Korea highlighted an essential tension. Capital and supply are accelerating while market certainty, price mechanisms, and policy execution lag. The sector is expanding, but its trajectory now depends on a clearer definition of demand and the tools required to enable it. Presenting insights from the Global Hydrogen Compass Report 2025, Ivana Jemelkova noted that hydrogen’s scale-up is tangible. More than 500 projects have reached final investment decision, with 83 added…

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…