Author: Arnes Biogradlija

The European Investment Bank’s in-principle approval of $135 million for ATOME’s Villeta project represents a significant bet on green hydrogen economics in a market where multilateral development banks deployed a record $125 billion in climate finance during 2023, yet Paraguay has received just €270.1 million from the EIB since 1959. This financing gap between global climate targets and regional investment history raises critical questions about the scalability and risk profile of first-generation green fertiliser ventures in emerging markets. ATOME’s 260,000-tonne-per-annum Calcium Ammonium Nitrate facility with 110 MW electrolysis capacity positions the project as one of the largest green hydrogen applications…

With 4,953 kilometers of Spain’s railway network still dependent on diesel traction—representing 42.5% of the 11,672-kilometer ADIF-managed system—the Transport and Sustainable Mobility Ministry has initiated a Preliminary Market Consultation to explore hydrogen and battery alternatives. This consultation targets six non-electrified lines, including Ávila-Salamanca, Torralba-Soria, and Huesca-Canfranc, as global hydrogen fuel cell train deployments generate projected revenues of $653.6 billion over the next 15 years with growth rates exceeding 100% annually. Spain’s current electrification rate of 57.5% aligns precisely with the EU average, according to Eurostat data for 2023, yet falls significantly below regional leaders like Luxembourg (96.7%) and Belgium (88.0%).…

On August 8th at 10 AM CET, Jack Rickers, Commercial & Business Development Lead at Hiringa Energy, delivered a detailed briefing on the Good Earth Green Hydrogen & Ammonia (GEGHA) project—a A$115 million commercial pilot in Moree, NSW, positioned to disrupt Australia’s fertilizer markets and advance agricultural decarbonization.

The lithium-ion battery industry faces a $23 billion annual maintenance challenge, with traditional reactive approaches contributing to 70% of unexpected system failures. As electric vehicle adoption accelerates and energy storage demands intensify, researchers are developing sophisticated predictive maintenance frameworks that move beyond simple point estimates to incorporate uncertainty quantification and multi-objective optimization. The Uncertainty Problem in Battery Predictions Current predictive maintenance strategies for lithium-ion batteries suffer from a critical flaw: they rely heavily on point-based remaining useful life (RUL) predictions without accounting for prediction uncertainty. This limitation creates significant operational risks, particularly in safety-critical applications where maintenance decisions based on…

Global green ammonia production capacity totals approximately 2.4 million tonnes currently against 191 million tonnes of conventional ammonia annually, yet Chile’s five projects seeking $3.6 billion financing plan to produce 4.4 million tonnes of green ammonia—nearly doubling existing global green capacity. The German development cooperation agency GIZ’s Financial Service Assistance program has exceeded initial targets by 67%, advising five projects instead of three, while seven additional projects await consultation, indicating substantial market momentum despite cost and regulatory challenges that have constrained project development globally. Chile’s competitive positioning relies on production cost projections of $1.5 per kilogram hydrogen by 2030, significantly…

Germany’s hydrogen demand projections of 95-130 TWh by 2030 require imports covering 50-70% of consumption; however, rising African production costs are forcing a strategic recalculation toward domestic electrolysis capacity, which must scale from the current 2.5 GW of approved projects to meet industrial requirements. thyssenkrupp Nucera’s €1 billion order backlog and 73% surge in green hydrogen orders reflect growing momentum for domestic production. Meanwhile, BASF’s 54 MW electrolyzer, which produces 8,000 metric tons annually, demonstrates large-scale industrial implementation that could reduce import dependence if replicated across the German chemical and steel sectors. The shift toward domestic production addresses supply security…

Global renewable investments topped $1.8 trillion in 2023, yet fossil fuels still supply over 80% of the world’s primary energy. In this dissonance, EnergyNews.biz staged a rare debate that cut through green gloss and industrial bravado. Karim Megherbi, renewable expert and executive at Orisun Invest, sparred with conventional energy investor and energy economist Lars Schernikau in a no-filter face-off. This wasn’t a climate kumbaya. It was a technical confrontation about whether our transition plans align with physical, financial, and political reality. WATCH THE FULL FACE 2 FACE Net Zero Narratives vs. Operational Reality The debate opened with net-zero targets. Megherbi…

As Southeast Europe navigates the grid instability posed by intermittent renewables, Chinese energy storage manufacturer Sermatec has stepped in with a full-lifecycle battery solution. According to the company’s statement, the project—launched in August—aims to optimize off-peak charging and peak-hour discharging, enabling cost-efficient energy usage and stabilizing grid performance. Delivery is expected by the end of December 2025, with grid connection and operation forecast for March 2026. Southeast Europe’s reliance on solar and wind has grown rapidly. Romania, for instance, added over 1 GW of solar capacity in 2023 alone. However, integration challenges persist. The region suffers from a lack of…

Germany’s total hydrogen demand reached 2.4 million tonnes in 2023 and is projected to consume 94-125 TWh by 2030. However, the Emscher-Lippe region’s forecast requirement of 200,000 tonnes by 2032 represents 8% of current national consumption, concentrated in a single industrial corridor. The DMT Energy Engineers’ study’s price projections of €4.8-13.2 per kilogram through 2032 reflect fundamental uncertainties about supply chain development in a market where domestic electrolysis capacity targets only 10 GW by 2030—insufficient to meet projected demand without substantial import infrastructure that remains largely theoretical. The regional analysis reveals the practical challenges facing German industrial decarbonization as small…

German hydrogen production costs average €9-12 per kilogram for small-scale electrolysis operations, presenting economic challenges for municipal projects like Entega’s 3MW facility in Darmstadt that will produce 310 tonnes annually for local bus fleets. The project, scheduled to begin construction in October 2025 with operations starting in Q1 2027, represents the practical implementation of Germany’s €23 billion hydrogen strategy at the city scale, yet the economics require sustained subsidies through programs like DELTA to achieve viability against conventional diesel alternatives. The Darmstadt facility’s integration with waste-to-energy infrastructure demonstrates municipal strategies to leverage existing assets for hydrogen production, though the 310-tonne…