July 23, 2025
by in News

Meet VIREAS: new AI-powered virtual assistant for energy

Croatia’s Regional Energy Agency North has launched VIREAS – a virtual energy assistant powered by artificial intelligence.

VIREAS answers users’ questions about energy renovation and renewable energy sources in real time, provides recommendations tailored to users’ homes and needs, helps identify opportunities to save energy and reduce costs, and explains technical concepts in simple terms, the Regional Energy Agency North (REA North) said.

The VIREAS app is an interactive platform that enables users to engage with an AI assistant on various topics related to energy efficiency and renewable energy.

VIREAS is designed for those who want to save energy and use renewables

The idea behind the chatbot is to help owners of houses and buildings improve energy efficiency or install facilities for the use of renewable energy sources. For example, it assists in renovating the facade, replacing the heating system, or installing a heat pump or solar power plant.

It enables faster, easier, and more secure decision-making processes related to energy renovation, without the need for expert knowledge, the agency claimed.

VIREAS can be used both by people with very little knowledge and by experts

Using VIREAS is simple and user-friendly for everyone, whether you have very little knowledge or you are an expert, according to REA North.

In addition to technical recommendations, VIREAS informs users about available subsidies and public calls from the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund or FZOEU, making it easier to access public funds and further reduce investment costs.

The agency warned that VIREAS doesn’t replace a project designer or a certified energy consultant

REA North underlined that VIREAS uses official sources of information. It includes public calls launched by FZOEU, technical rules on thermal protection and heating and cooling systems, and energy certification rulebooks.

The agency stressed that although its chatbot provides useful information and tips, it doesn’t replace a project designer or authorized energy consultant. REA North advised citizens to consult experts to make a final decision and for the preparation of project documentation.

The design of the chatbot was co-financed by the BauNOW project under the Interreg Euro-MED program.

Post Views:13
July 18, 2025
by in News

Google signs world’s largest corporate power purchase agreement for hydropower

Global investment firm Brookfield and tech giant Google signed an agreement to deliver up to 3,000 MW of carbon-free hydropower capacity in the United States.

Brookfield said the Hydro Framework Agreement (HFA) is the first of its kind and “the world’s largest corporate clean power deal for hydroelectricity.”

Brookfield Asset Management, together with Brookfield Renewable, and Google said the deal is for 3,000 MW of carbon-free hydroelectric capacity across the US.

Fast development of AI and digitalization is making power supply crucial for tech companies. Goldman Sachs Research forecasted that global power demand from data centers would increase 165% by 2030 from the 2023 level.

The first contracts include Brookfield’s Holtwood and Safe Harbor hydropower plants in Pennsylvania

Google has recently signed similar first-of-kind agreements for advanced nuclear and next-generation geothermal energy as well as for fusion energy.

Under HFA, the first contracts are for Brookfield’s Holtwood and Safe Harbor hydropower plants in Pennsylvania, representing more than USD 3 billion of power and 670 MW of capacity.

The 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) for the two facilities will support Google’s operations across PJM. The transaction structure allows Brookfield to maintain existing commitments to power consumers, such as Amtrak, from the Safe Harbor facility.

Brookfield said HFA is a significant step forward in its strategy to deliver flexible, dispatchable clean energy solutions to the technology sector and that the deal supports Google’s ambition to power its operations with 24/7 carbon-free energy.

Google can procure carbon-free electricity from up to 3,000 MW of HPPs

According to Brookfield, under the HFA, Google can procure electricity from up to 3,000 MW of hydropower assets that will be relicensed, overhauled, or upgraded to extend their useful life and continue adding power to the grid.

Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s Head of Data Center Energy, said the collaboration with Brookfield is a significant step forward, ensuring clean energy supply in the PJM region (parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia) where her company operates. Hydropower is a proven low-cost technology, offering dependable, homegrown, carbon-free electricity that creates jobs and builds a stronger grid for all, she added.

According to Connor Teskey, President of Brookfield Asset Management, the partnership with Google demonstrates the critical role that hydropower can play in helping hyperscale customers meet their energy goals.

Delivering power at scale and from a range of sources will be required to meet the growing electricity demands from digitalization and artificial intelligence, he pointed out.

Of note, Brookfield owns power plants with a combined capacity of almost 46,000 MW.

Google to invest over USD 25 billion in data center and AI infrastructure

The deal is part of Google’s planned investments in the area in data center and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. At the Pennsylvania Energy & Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh, the company revealed that it earmarked more than USD 25 billion for the next two years.

President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google Ruth Porat joined President Donald Trump, Senator Dave McCormick and government and business leaders at the summit.

To support the investment, Google is expanding energy capacity and innovation in three ways, the company said.

Post Views:45
July 15, 2025
by in News

China-based Envision opens world’s largest green hydrogen, ammonia plant

Green technology developer Envision Energy has commissioned the world’s largest and most advanced green hydrogen and ammonia plant. The Shanghai-based company said the production facility, developed in its hydrogen park in Chifeng, China, is also the first in the world delivering green ammonia at industrial scale and the first of its kind to be fully AI-enabled.

The plant can deliver 320,000 tons of green ammonia annually, with exports set to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, Envision said, adding that the facility represents a major leap forward in industrial decarbonization. By 2028, the output is projected to rise to 1.5 million tons a year.

Green ammonia output is expected to rise to 1.5 million tons a year by 2028

The project, powered by Envision’s proprietary off-grid renewable energy system, applies innovative energy storage and load flexibility. Surplus green power is stored in the form of liquid nitrogen, and electrolyzers intelligently respond to renewable power swings, dynamically optimizing energy absorption and ammonia production.

By leveraging green ammonia as a stable transportation and storage medium, Envision has unlocked a practical path to scaling hydrogen across heavy industries, reads the press release.

Zhang Lei, Envision’s founder and CEO, noted that scalable, green alternatives are now real and operational, adding that the world cannot reach net zero without green hydrogen.

The first offtake deal is accelerating green ammonia adoption in fertilizer production, chemicals, and shipping

Envision’s project has already concluded a long-term offtake agreement with Marubeni Corporation, one of Japan’s largest trading houses, which will accelerate green ammonia adoption in sectors including fertilizers, chemicals, and shipping.

The company announced that its Chifeng Hydrogen Net Zero Industrial Park is officially the world’s first green ammonia facility to receive the ISCC PLUS certification for green ammonia with a verified greenhouse gas footprint. Envision also noted that its plant has a replicable design that can be quickly deployed globally.

Post Views:40
June 20, 2025
by in News

WEF: Global energy transition picks up pace

The global energy transition is picking up pace, with the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest report showing the fastest progress since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall improvement on the WEF’s Energy Transition Index (ETI) was recorded in 65% of the countries observed, with the Emerging Europe region posting the strongest growth.

The report, titled Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2025, tracks the performance of energy systems of 118 countries across three dimensions – security, sustainability, and equity.

The equity segment showed the strongest gains, thanks to stable energy prices and subsidy cuts, while sustainability improved thanks to increased renewable energy adoption and improvements in energy efficiency. However, energy security stagnated due to inflexible power systems, reliance on imports, and limited diversification, highlighting the need for resilient grids, digitalization, and investment.

Energy security stagnated due to a lack of flexibility and diversification

The WEF also noted that despite USD 2 trillion in clean energy investment in 2024, global emissions hit a record 37.8 billion tons in the hottest year on record, as energy demand rose 2.2%, driven by artificial intelligence (AI), data centers, cooling, and electrification.

Global carbon emissions hit a record 37.8 billion tons in 2024 despite investment in clean energy

In 2025, 77 out of 118 countries recorded an increase in their overall ETI scores, with an average gain of 1.1%, as 28% achieved gains across all three dimensions, according to the report.

Advanced European economies top ETI rankings

Advanced economies continued to lead the rankings, accounting for 16 of the top 20 performers. The top five positions are occupied by Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Switzerland, thanks to their strong performance in energy diversification, clean energy adoption, robust policy frameworks, and reliable infrastructure.

Also among the top 10 are Austria, Latvia, the Netherlands, Germany, and Portugal. China rose to a record 12th place, while the United Kingdom ranked 16th, and the US ended in the 17th spot.

Bosnia and Herzegovina posts strongest growth

The Emerging Europe region, which includes former Soviet republics and Southeast European countries, recorded the highest score increase in 2025, of 2.8% year on year. Latvia scored the highest on the ETI index, while Bosnia and Herzegovina posted the strongest growth.

The highest-ranking countries in the region tracked by Balkan Green Energy News are Bulgaria and Romania, with an overall score of 63.7 each, occupying the 29th and 30th spots, respectively.

Albania took 37th place with a score of 61.5. North Macedonia was 66th, with an overall score of 54.2, and Bosnia and Herzegovina came in 72nd, with 53.1. They are followed by Serbia, in 81st place, and Montenegro, which is 83rd.

Post Views:24
April 23, 2025
by in News

Italy mulls keeping its last coal plants on standby

After retiring the two remaining mainland coal power plants, scheduled for this year, Italy’s government intends to switch the facilities to standby instead of dismantling them. Two others are on the island of Sardinia, which is waiting for another subsea interconnection to complete the coal phaseout.

Italy has 4.7 GW in coal power capacity left, following the recent retirement of A2A’s plant in Monfalcone, on the border with Slovenia. The two facilities that remained on the mainland are only marginally active and they are officially set to be closed this year. However, Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin expressed the belief that they should be kept on standby.

“Therefore, not producing, because it is not economically suitable. But the geopolitics are still in a state where no one can guarantee us that gas will not reach EUR 70 per MWh or that there will be no malfunctions in the pipelines that supply us,” he argued. The said facilities, already dormant as they are not cost-effective, should be kept just in case, in the view of the minister. He didn’t address the pollution issue.

Provisional data showed that coal power output nosedived 71% in 2024 to 3.5 TWh. It translated to a share of 1.3% in electricity production and 1.1% in consumption.

On the one hand, the capacities would be valuable in case of gas and power supply disturbances. But it comes at the cost of maintaining a complex system idle.

Sardinia may remain dependent on coal by 2029

The two mainland coal plants are Enel’s Torrevaldaliga Nord in Civitavecchia and Brindisi Sud.

There are two more, in Sardinia, scheduled to be phased out by January 2029. By then, the island’s interconnection with the main grid should be strengthened with the proposed Tyrrhenian Link. The Sulcis coal plant is also Enel’s, and the other one is EP Produzione’s Fiume Santo power plant. Together, they have 1.1 GW in nominal capacity.

Speaking at the same event, Chief Executive Officer of Enel Flavio Cattaneo warned of the expected surge in power consumption, suggesting the coal exit be reconsidered. The “perfectly functioning” plants, which “saved” Italy during the gas crisis, will be closed by August, he stressed. The company is open to selling its coal assets, Cattaneo said and hinted at the possibility that the government buys them.

AI, data centers bolstering demand for nuclear energy, gas, coal

Eni’s CEO Claudio Descalzi said it was “pure madness” to close coal-fired power plants “in a situation of high costs or low energy availability.” He cited the rise of artificial intelligence and data centers, boosting energy demand, and the need to keep costs low. “It is only possible with nuclear, gas and coal,” Descalzi claimed.

Closing coal plants is not in the country’s interest, said Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini.

A group of environmental organizations called it unacceptable in 2025 to propose coal to be part of the energy mix.

Italy is no longer buying Russian gas

Minister Pichetto Fratin also said Italy has stopped buying gas from Russia at the end of last year. It turned to alternatives like liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, he added.

The country needs to rapidly deploy renewables, in his view, and decouple the prices of electricity and gas. Pichetto Fratin said gas accounts for 40% of power but that it determines 70% of the final price, and criticized the pricing system based on the Netherlands’ TTF benchmark.

The government is considering support for long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) and contracts for difference (CfD), to stabilize prices and become competitive with Germany. It is also the European Union’s policy, under the latest electricity market redesign.

Post Views:33
  • 1
  • 2