Author: Arnes Biogradlija

The widespread blackout that affected Spain and Portugal in April has prompted the Portuguese government to announce a €400 million investment program aimed at strengthening grid resilience and expanding battery storage capacity. Energy Minister Maria da Graca Carvalho stated that €137 million will be directed toward improving operational and control capabilities, a critical step as the country integrates higher shares of intermittent renewable energy. The April 28 outage was traced to a voltage surge within Spain’s electricity system. A Spanish government report identified miscalculations by grid operator Redeia in balancing energy sources and highlighted the failure of some coal, gas,…

BP’s decision to withdraw from the $55 billion Australian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH) in Western Australia marks a notable pivot in the company’s energy transition strategy and underscores broader questions about the pace and economics of large-scale green hydrogen development. Initially acquiring a 40.5% operating stake in 2022 and later expanding its share to 63.57%, BP had positioned itself as the lead partner in the 26 GW Pilbara project—expected to produce up to 1.6 million metric tons of green hydrogen annually. Yet, in line with its recent strategy reset, BP has informed partners InterContinental Energy and CWP Global that it…

The commissioning of the Da’an Wind and Solar Green Hydrogen Synthesis Ammonia Integration Demonstration Project in Jilin province marks a critical test case for large-scale renewable-to-hydrogen-to-ammonia conversion. With 800 megawatts of installed capacity—700 MW from wind and 100 MW from solar—the project is designed to produce 32,000 tons of hydrogen and 180,000 tons of ammonia annually, positioning it as the largest single-unit green ammonia facility globally. While the production figures are significant, the broader implications lie in system integration and market alignment. The project utilizes excess renewable energy to drive electrolysis, converting water into hydrogen, which is then combined with…

Saudi Arabia’s decision to award Técnicas Reunidas, in partnership with Sinopec, the front-end engineering design (FEED) contract for what is set to become one of the world’s largest green hydrogen plants marks a significant acceleration in the region’s bid to dominate future hydrogen exports. Located in Yanbu and backed by ACWA Power, the facility aims to produce 400,000 tons of hydrogen annually—destined for conversion into green ammonia for export markets. At the core of the project lies a 4-gigawatt electrolysis system, complemented by critical ancillary infrastructure such as desalination facilities and a dedicated port terminal to manage green ammonia logistics.…

As global electricity demand surges—driven by AI expansion and cloud services—Google has taken a strategic step into long-duration energy storage (LDES), partnering with Italian firm Energy Dome to scale its CO₂-based storage technology across key international markets. The move marks the tech giant’s first major engagement with LDES, positioning it at the intersection of grid reliability, decarbonization, and energy innovation. Strategic Fit: Data Centers and Dispatchable Clean Energy Data centers already consume up to 1–1.5% of global electricity, and with AI training workloads growing exponentially, that figure is set to climb. For Google, matching this demand with 24/7 carbon-free energy…

With over 14% of the Netherlands’ total CO₂ emissions stemming from its chemical industry, the sector is under mounting pressure to pivot toward sustainable alternatives. Now, €45.7 million in funding for the HyCARB project signals a strategic escalation in the country’s industrial decarbonization efforts, targeting a systemic shift from fossil-based feedstocks to green hydrogen and electrified processes. Industrial Context and Strategic Imperatives Despite Europe’s push for net-zero emissions by 2050, the chemical industry remains one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize due to its dependence on fossil hydrocarbons not only for energy but also as feedstock. In the Dutch context,…

Air pollution is the second leading cause of death globally, contributing to nearly 7.5 million premature deaths each year. The economic cost of this pollution is staggering — approximately $30 trillion annually, according to Stanford professor Mark Jacobson. Despite this, the global energy transition remains sluggish, hindered not by a lack of technology but by political inertia and what Jacobson categorizes as strategic distractions. WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE The Distraction Economy: Funding the Wrong Technologies Jacobson’s central critique lies not in the technological capability to transition but in the political and economic misalignment of priorities. “Burning is the problem.…

In 2023, global investment in hydrogen technologies surpassed $200 billion, yet the gap between academic research and scalable solutions remains stark. The issue isn’t just one of funding—it’s about research that overpromises and underdelivers. According to four hydrogen scientists from Southeast Europe—Dalibor Karačić, Nejc Hodnik, Igor Pašti, and Sanjin Gutić—the vast majority of hydrogen research will never see commercial light. Their warning is blunt: complexity, vanity metrics, and misplaced priorities are stalling the sector’s potential. WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE Operating under NATO’s Science for Peace and Security framework, this lab panel is approaching hydrogen from a different angle: functional…

Despite a 15 percent year‑on‑year increase to just over 100,000 fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) worldwide in 2024, global adoption remains less than 0.2 percent of the total electric vehicle fleet. That sluggish momentum has prompted Honda Motor Company to push back the start‑up of its next‑generation fuel cell module plant in Moka City, Tochigi Prefecture, and cut its inaugural capacity from 30,000 to 20,000 units per year. Originally set to begin production in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2028, Honda’s dedicated facility—which would have reutilized part of its former Powertrain Unit Factory—will now come online on an undetermined later date. By opting out…

Europe has set its sights on deploying 40 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolysers by 2030—a target that now hinges as much on financial resilience as on technical prowess. With the €7 million acquisition of the insolvent HH2E Werk Lubmin project, H2Apex Group stakes its claim on what may be Germany’s most promising green hydrogen cluster, but inheriting a sunk‑cost site raises critical questions about execution risk and market timing. By taking full ownership of the 1 GW Lubmin project through its Apex Nova Holding subsidiary, H2Apex gains not only the rights to repurpose a former nuclear site but also a ready‑made grid connection…