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Received today — 1 February 2026

Deutschlands Wasserstoff-Backbone und der lange Schatten des russischen Gases

1 February 2026 at 01:55

Der neu unter Druck gesetzte Abschnitt von Deutschlands Wasserstoff-Backbone ohne Lieferanten und ohne Abnehmer wird oft als klarer Bruch mit der Vergangenheit beschrieben, als notwendige frühe Investition in eine künftige Wasserstoffwirtschaft. Der Stahl erzählt eine andere Geschichte. Trasse, Durchmesser, Alter und Wirtschaftlichkeit der Pipeline verweisen zurück auf russisches Erdgas, nicht ... [continued]

The post Deutschlands Wasserstoff-Backbone und der lange Schatten des russischen Gases appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Die Opportunitätskosten des deutschen Wasserstoff-Backbones*

31 January 2026 at 16:33

Deutschland hat inzwischen rund 400 Kilometer Wasserstoff-Backbone-Pipeline fertiggestellt und unter Druck gesetzt, ohne angeschlossene Lieferanten und ohne vertraglich gebundene Abnehmer — eine Pipeline von nirgendwo nach nirgendwo. Die Infrastruktur existiert und ist betriebsbereit, aber es fließt kein Wasserstoff zu irgendjemandem, der sich verpflichtet hat, dafür zu bezahlen. Dies ist kein ... [continued]

The post Die Opportunitätskosten des deutschen Wasserstoff-Backbones* appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Received yesterday — 31 January 2026

Why a New US Fleet Payment “First” Is Routine in Europe & China

31 January 2026 at 04:57

The announcement that WEX, a major US fleet card provider, can finally combine gasoline and public EV charging into one card, one account, and one invoice lands as a small milestone that only looks novel if the frame of reference is strictly American. For US fleet operators, this closes a ... [continued]

The post Why a New US Fleet Payment “First” Is Routine in Europe & China appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The Future Is Already Here, It’s Just Unevenly Distributed

31 January 2026 at 02:12

Preparing to kick off the Burnaby Board of Trade’s 2026 Clean Energy Summit next month felt like the right moment to take inventory. Burnaby sits inside a province where roughly 98% of electricity is already non emitting, hosts a dense cluster of clean energy companies, and also contains a noticeable ... [continued]

The post The Future Is Already Here, It’s Just Unevenly Distributed appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Alberta’s $900 Million Bet: How the Province Chose Fossil Risk Over Clean Energy Markets

30 January 2026 at 19:32

Alberta’s January 2026 Order in Council authorizing expanded powers and funding for the province’s petroleum marketing agency shouldn’t exist, and if it had, it should have been a bill. Authorizing up to $900 million across borrowing, advances or investments by the Minister of Finance and provincial debt with broad powers ... [continued]

The post Alberta’s $900 Million Bet: How the Province Chose Fossil Risk Over Clean Energy Markets appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Gleiche Länge, unterschiedliche Logik: Chinas industrielle Wasserstoffpipeline im Vergleich zu Deutschlands Backbone

30 January 2026 at 00:38

Der Vergleich zwischen Deutschlands Wasserstoff-Backbone von nirgendwo nach nirgendwo und Chinas angeblich über 1.000 km langer Wasserstoffpipeline taucht immer wieder auf und wird oft als Beleg dafür gerahmt, dass Deutschland lediglich früh dran sei und nicht falsch liege. Das ist eine berechtigte Frage, denn aus der Distanz wirken beide Projekte ... [continued]

The post Gleiche Länge, unterschiedliche Logik: Chinas industrielle Wasserstoffpipeline im Vergleich zu Deutschlands Backbone appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Warum grüner Stahl — nicht grünes Eisen — Europas industrielle Zukunft bestimmt*

29 January 2026 at 03:43

Die Idee einer europäischen Prämie für grünen Stahl hat sich in den vergangenen Jahren weitgehend etabliert. Sie beruht auf der Annahme, dass Europa seinen Stahlsektor im Inland dekarbonisieren kann, höhere Produktionskosten durch eine Mischung aus politischer Unterstützung und Zahlungsbereitschaft der Abnehmer auffängt und dabei seine industrielle Wettbewerbsfähigkeit bewahrt. Diese Annahme ... [continued]

The post Warum grüner Stahl — nicht grünes Eisen — Europas industrielle Zukunft bestimmt* appeared first on CleanTechnica.

From Peak Load to Public Health: What Batteries Are Already Doing for Power Grids

29 January 2026 at 03:18

Being invited to speak (virtually) at an upcoming hybrid Ottawa Lunch and Learn on peak grid load and battery energy storage provided an opportunity to extend several ongoing lines of analysis. This article is an extension of the brief remarks I will be making at that event, written to unpack ... [continued]

The post From Peak Load to Public Health: What Batteries Are Already Doing for Power Grids appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Europa baute Wasserstoffinfrastruktur statt des benötigten Stromnetzes*

28 January 2026 at 23:30

Die wichtigste politische Lehre aus dem 400 km langen europäischen Wasserstoff-Backbone-Abschnitt ohne Lieferanten und ohne Abnehmer, einer Pipeline von nirgendwo nach nirgendwo, über den ich kürzlich geschrieben habe, ist, dass Dekarbonisierung an Nachfrage-Realismus scheitert oder gelingt, nicht an technologischer Ambition. Europa wusste bereits Ende der 2000er-Jahre, dass eine tiefgreifende Elektrifizierung ... [continued]

The post Europa baute Wasserstoffinfrastruktur statt des benötigten Stromnetzes* appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Tesla Removed Autopilot. The Data Says Safety Wasn’t Lost

28 January 2026 at 04:59

Tesla’s decision to remove Autopilot and Autosteer as standard features in North America initially struck me as a step backward for safety, a cash grab for the Full Self Driving monthly subscription and as such an attempt to boost TSLA stock price. That reaction was almost automatic. I’ve used and ... [continued]

The post Tesla Removed Autopilot. The Data Says Safety Wasn’t Lost appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Why a New US Fleet Payment “First” Is Routine in Europe & China

31 January 2026 at 04:57

The announcement that WEX, a major US fleet card provider, can finally combine gasoline and public EV charging into one card, one account, and one invoice lands as a small milestone that only looks novel if the frame of reference is strictly American. For US fleet operators, this closes a ... [continued]

The post Why a New US Fleet Payment “First” Is Routine in Europe & China appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Tesla Removed Autopilot. The Data Says Safety Wasn’t Lost

28 January 2026 at 04:59

Tesla’s decision to remove Autopilot and Autosteer as standard features in North America initially struck me as a step backward for safety, a cash grab for the Full Self Driving monthly subscription and as such an attempt to boost TSLA stock price. That reaction was almost automatic. I’ve used and ... [continued]

The post Tesla Removed Autopilot. The Data Says Safety Wasn’t Lost appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Received before yesterday

When Europe’s Economic Institutions Step Away From Hydrogen

25 January 2026 at 19:29

Germany’s Council of Economic Experts, working jointly with France’s Conseil d’analyse économique, has already stepped away from hydrogen as a broad energy carrier, and that shift sits uneasily alongside a 400 km pressurized segment of Germany’s hydrogen backbone with no suppliers and no customers. The joint guidance from these two ... [continued]

The post When Europe’s Economic Institutions Step Away From Hydrogen appeared first on CleanTechnica.

From Optionality to Outcome: How Germany Can Reset Hydrogen Without Losing Face

26 January 2026 at 01:04

Germany now has a pressurized segment of its hydrogen backbone that is physically complete and operationally empty. There are no connected suppliers feeding hydrogen into it, no contracted customers drawing hydrogen out, and no credible near-term pathway to change either of those facts. This is no longer a question of ... [continued]

The post From Optionality to Outcome: How Germany Can Reset Hydrogen Without Losing Face appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Germany’s Audit Court Calls Time on Hydrogen Inevitability

26 January 2026 at 00:23

The October 2025 special report from Germany’s Federal Audit Court, Implementation of the Federal Government’s Hydrogen Strategy, lands with unusual weight because it is not a policy critique or an academic intervention, but a statutory budgetary assessment delivered to Parliament. It evaluates the hydrogen strategy against the legal requirements of ... [continued]

The post Germany’s Audit Court Calls Time on Hydrogen Inevitability appeared first on CleanTechnica.

When Europe’s Economic Institutions Step Away From Hydrogen

25 January 2026 at 19:29

Germany’s Council of Economic Experts, working jointly with France’s Conseil d’analyse économique, has already stepped away from hydrogen as a broad energy carrier, and that shift sits uneasily alongside a 400 km pressurized segment of Germany’s hydrogen backbone with no suppliers and no customers. The joint guidance from these two ... [continued]

The post When Europe’s Economic Institutions Step Away From Hydrogen appeared first on CleanTechnica.

From Optimistic Models To Empty Pipelines: The Intellectual History Of Germany’s Hydrogen Backbone

24 January 2026 at 18:44

Germany’s hydrogen backbone now exists as steel in the ground and pressurized pipe, but the more important infrastructure was laid long before any trench was dug. That infrastructure was intellectual. A long sequence of studies, models, and policy-facing analyses created the impression that large scale hydrogen for energy use was ... [continued]

The post From Optimistic Models To Empty Pipelines: The Intellectual History Of Germany’s Hydrogen Backbone appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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