Author: Arnes Biogradlija

The Philippines generates more than 21 million metric tons of waste annually, and with landfill capacity nearing exhaustion in several urban centers, the country’s waste management system is under intensifying scrutiny. Stakeholders at the 4th Liveable Cities Lab argued that circular economy adoption—long discussed but unevenly implemented—offers one of the few viable pathways to reverse the trend while creating measurable economic and social benefits. Guillermo Luz, chairman of Liveable Cities Philippines, emphasized that the problem persists despite a two-decade-old legislative framework under the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. Most local government units (LGUs) still rely on open dumping or uncontrolled…

The aviation industry generates an estimated 5.7 million tons of cabin waste annually, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), yet less than 20% is recycled. Against this backdrop, Saudia Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with Loop KSA to design and implement its first comprehensive waste management program—a move that could position the airline as a test case for embedding circular economy strategies within the Kingdom’s aviation sector. The agreement, signed by Saudia’s Vice President of Sustainability Maryam Telmesani and Loop CEO Ali Bakhalgi, commits to developing a “Zero-Waste” strategy that encompasses recycling infrastructure, monitoring systems, and…

Saudi Arabia targets 1.2 million tons of green hydrogen production and 10% of global demand by 2030, yet renewable energy currently generates just 1% of the kingdom’s electricity, while oil exports represent 82% of total exports. This stark contradiction highlights the central tension in Saudi Arabia’s energy transition strategy, where climate ambitions compete directly with economic fundamentals that generated 73% of government revenues in 2024. The Middle East green hydrogen market was estimated at USD 168.4 million in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 1,254.8 million by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 22.8%, positioning the region for significant…

Germany’s transmission and distribution system operators now face over 500 GW of battery energy storage system connection requests, representing more than eight times the country’s peak electricity demand. This surge from 340 GW in February to 470.5 GW across four TSOs and three DSOs reflects fundamental systemic failures in grid connection procedures rather than genuine market development, according to industry analysis. The battery energy storage systems market in Germany is expected to reach $2.27 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate of 30.7%, yet current grid connection processes create artificial bottlenecks that distort actual deployment timelines. Almost 600,000…

Lithium-ion battery health prediction accuracy drops significantly after 100 cycles in existing systems, yet new research demonstrates a root mean squared error of 0.0046 Ah for capacity forecasting using only first-stage cycle data. This precision threshold becomes critical as the lithium-ion battery market crossed USD 75.2 billion in 2024 and is expected 15.8% CAGR through 2034, with failure prediction accuracy directly impacting warranty costs and replacement scheduling across automotive and energy storage sectors. Current battery management systems struggle with a fundamental limitation: capacity degradation trajectories exhibit high consistency during early operational stages but diverge dramatically in later phases due to…

Global hydrogen markets are expanding at a rapid clip, with projections suggesting the sector could reach $410 billion by 2030, up from roughly $155 billion today. Much of this growth rests on policy-driven momentum—particularly in the EU, Japan, and South Korea—where hydrogen strategies are tightly woven into decarbonization pathways. Yet the trajectory is anything but linear, as structural barriers continue to blunt scale-up efforts. A critical challenge lies in the cost equation. Despite falling renewable electricity prices, green hydrogen production remains two to three times more expensive than fossil-based hydrogen. Electrolyzer costs, hovering at $900–1,200/kW, must fall significantly if the…

Inner Mongolia targets 200,000 tons of annual green hydrogen production by 2025, positioning the region as China’s hydrogen manufacturing epicenter. The recent 5 billion yuan agreement between Guofu Hydrogen Energy and Siziwang Banner represents approximately 13% of this regional capacity through a single integrated facility producing 40,000 tons annually. The project’s technical specifications reveal the infrastructure challenges facing China’s hydrogen economy. The facility will deploy 60 electrolyzers at 1,000 Nm³/h each, requiring 1GW of dedicated renewable power supply—equivalent to roughly 500 modern wind turbines operating at full capacity. This power-to-hydrogen ratio highlights the energy intensity of electrolytic production, where approximately…

The U.S. nuclear sector is entering a new test phase as startup Aalo breaks ground in Idaho on its first extra-modular reactor (XMR), a sodium-cooled unit the company claims will become the first new test reactor of its kind to reach criticality in the country in more than four decades. Positioned under the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, the project represents one of at least three advanced reactor designs the DOE expects to bring to first criticality by July 2026. Aalo’s Idaho deployment, dubbed Aalo-X, is not simply a technology demonstration. The company has tied its schedule…

Germany’s northern grid is set for another capacity boost as Eco Stor advances its 103.5-MW/238-MWh battery energy storage project in Schuby, Schleswig-Holstein, marked by the delivery of its main transformer in August. The nearly 130-tonne unit, sourced from Hungary, is the largest single component of the installation and a critical link between the local medium-voltage network and the 110 kV transmission system. At full capacity, the Schuby facility will hold enough power to supply around 170,000 households for two hours, underscoring how battery storage is shifting from pilot-scale deployments to grid-relevant assets in Germany’s energy transition. The project follows the…

Future Proof Shipping’s hydrogen-powered vessels achieve annual CO2 savings of 2,000 tonnes per barge for 100 round trips of 500 kilometers each, while H2 Barge 2 is projected to reduce 3,000 tonnes of CO2 annually on Rhine operations. These emission reductions represent significant environmental impact from two vessels, though scaling challenges related to hydrogen costs and limited financial incentives constrain broader industry adoption of zero-emission shipping technology. Vessel Performance and Technical Specifications H2 Barge 1, measuring 110m x 11.45m, launched in May 2023 for container operations between Rotterdam and Belgium’s BCTN terminal in Meerhout. H2 Barge 2 followed in February…