1. DOE awards up to $2.2B to Gulf Coast, Midwest hydrogen hubs

Learning: "The U.S. Department of Energy on Wednesday finalized award commitments of $1.2 billion for the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub and $1 billion for the Midwest Hydrogen Hub."

Implication: "The hub approvals will clear the way for hydrogen projects that were waiting for associated infrastructure or offtake agreements to come together, according to Frank Wolak, president and CEO of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association."

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2. Data center stakeholders must collaborate to meet clean energy targets

Learning: "Data center operators, hyperscalers, electricity providers, local regulators, municipalities and real estate firms must collaborate on how best to balance environmental, business and societal goals, according to a Deloitte report," released earlier this week.

Implication: "That collaboration should involve determining potential strategic colocation needs — where a data center company rents computing and server resources to one or more companies — as well as needs for cooling, recycling, and heat and wastewater management, according to the report.

Small and midsized organizations that may find it challenging to harness generative AI data center capacity should work with specialized data center operators and cloud service providers to meet their needs, Deloitte says. In turn, data centers can actively track usage and availability for potential opportunities and demand pockets to help deliver near-term colocation services, per the report."

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3. Gas stations won't go away after the EV revolution--they'll just get better

Learning: "There are signs that gas stations, and new types of spaces like Rove that iterate on the idea of a fancy fill-up, just might be poised to take off. Convenience stores and gas stations have started to pivot toward offering premium services alongside charging infrastructure, especially to capture long-distance EV drivers."

Implication: "As consumer behavior shifts during the changeover from gas cars to EVs, it’s likely that drivers will need to refuel/repower their vehicles less often, Hurless says. That’ll lead to a culling of the number of gas stations and convenience stores over time...

The future is visible in Europe, where EV charging has moved faster than in the U.S., and many sites offer more premium amenities, even access to gyms and playgrounds."

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4. Zero-emission iron fuel for clean heat

Learning: "Heat... accounts for half of the world’s total energy consumption. Industry takes up by far the biggest slice of this, clocking in at 50 per cent of all heat usage. Tackling these emissions is especially challenging... One Dutch company is exploring an unexpected alternative: iron powder as a sustainable and carbon-free fuel source."

Implication: "What makes this approach stand out is its potential to operate independently of major infrastructure investments... By working with industrial sites directly, the system is built to be compatible with existing heating infrastructure, allowing companies to replace fossil fuels with minimal modifications. The innovation could provide a ‘plug-and-play’ approach to decarbonization, especially appealing to industries that find it challenging to access a consistent supply of electricity or hydrogen.

Currently in the proof-of-concept stage, the technology has two operational plants in the Netherlands. With the help of recent funding from investors including Invest-NL and PGGM, the company plans to complete final operational tests and scale toward a commercial pilot project in the coming years. This ambitious expansion aims to impact up to 500 households by supplying them with heat generated from iron powder. If successful, this technology could save an estimated one gigaton of CO2 annually by 2050 – a significant step forward for industrial sustainability."

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5. The US’s Easternmost City Could Be a Model for the Country’s Renewable Future

Learning: "Tidal power and solar would fuel a community microgrid protecting the island of Eastport, Maine, from outages...

The quest to make Eastport energy resilient has put the city at the forefront of Maine’s renewable energy transition and made it a leader in energy independence work for remote communities in the state and beyond."

Implication: "The fact that Eastport is at the literal end of the line in terms of electricity transmission makes the city a perfect contender for a microgrid, said Judy Long, the communications director of Versant Power, which operates the transmission line. Because the city is so remote, there is no room for redundancies in case of outages; there are no other sources that can feed energy into the city’s existing line.

A microgrid would work as such a source. Electricity generated on the island would feed into a battery array, which would feed into the microgrid. The microgrid would remain connected to the regular electrical grid and run as normal when times are good. In the event of a storm or interruption, the microgrid could “island off” for three to four hours—which is the average duration of an outage—allowing residents to flick on their lights, run their refrigerators and heat their homes as normal.

The work requires various parts locking together: The solar, the tidal, the battery and the grid itself all must coordinate."