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The conference brought together countries, producers, developers, consumers, and international organisation and non-profit institutions that support hydrogen development and transformation. The pluralist participants presented their perspectives and discussed topics around the current state of hydrogen development and adoption, the main achievements and obstacles so far, and how to move forward. The sessions covered seven main topics surrounding hydrogen development: the role and pathways for international cooperation, finance, new development opportunities, the supply chain, and the transformation of fertiliser and steel industries. Taken together, the sessions showcased that hydrogen technologies have been proven and are available. However, they still entail challenges like higher costs, lack of harmonised standards and regulation, incomplete infrastructure and logistics, and lack of policy stability, all of which hamper demand creation. Key takeaways 

Transforming the energy system is one of the most important economic and political challenges of our time. Current geopolitical conflict highlights the negative effects of relying on fossil fuels, making a secure, affordable renewable energy supply increasingly important, with solar and wind power being the most cost-efficient forms of power generation. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), by 2030, globally installed renewable capacity will increase 2.6-fold compared with 2022 levels. The special exhibit Renewables 24/7 at The smarter E Europe 2026, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry, will show how a renewable energy supply around the clock works in practice.  Visitors will be able to see firsthand how power generation, storage, flexibilization and digitalization intelligently work together in industry, commerce, residential applications and mobility. You can expect best practices from Europe, expert presentations and live demos of concrete solutions for the energy system of the future. System security is a particularly important element in the spotlight. Power generated from the sun and wind can be volatile, but the technology to reliably manage fluctuations and surpluses has long been ready, such as storage, digital grid solutions, flexibilization and sector coupling. Renewable energy systems are connected, efficient and economical. The exclusive accompanying study, pathways to a 24/7 renewable energy supply, will be presented at the launch of the special exhibit at The smarter E Europe, which developed the study together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. It uses Germany, where 60 percent of electricity is already generated by renewable sources, to demonstrate how supply security can work in an industrial nation. “Electricity from solar and wind is already unbeatably cheap. The energy transition is unstoppable and delaying it will only damage the economy,” says Markus Elsässer, Founder and CEO of Solar Promotion GmbH, organizer of the alliance of exhibitions. The message is clear: Renewable energy lowers costs long-term and strengthens competitiveness. The smarter E Europe 2026: Meet the who’s who of the solar industry The special exhibit Renewables 24/7 will be in hall C5, booth C5.450 during all three days of The smarter E Europe 2026, an event marked as outstanding in the calendars of all energy experts. At Europe’s biggest alliance of exhibitions, 2,800 Exhibitors across 19 exhibition halls plus Outdoor Area will be awaiting more than 100,000 visitors. The alliance of exhibitions will take place from June 23–25, 2026, at Messe München – please observe that this year, the exhibition will be running from Tuesday until Thursday. The 200,000 square meters of exhibition space will be showcasing the latest innovations and applications. What’s more, seven exhibition forums will provide a tailored conference program covering pioneering topics.  Find out more The smarter E Europe Conferences The four conferences of The smarter E Europe, taking place concurrently from June 22–23 at the ICM in Munich, will provide the latest expert knowledge and valuable contacts. One ticket grants you access to all four conferences. Connect with leading decision-makers, deepen your expertise and strategically grow your international network – actively shaping…

ScottishPower and Masdar’s East Anglia THREE offshore windfarm has set a UK offshore wind record with the installation of its first turbine – the first in the UK to feature 115 metre blades, each one longer than a Premier League football pitch.

The idea of the All Electric Society describes a future in which energy comes almost exclusively from renewable, carbon-neutral sources. As part of this transformation, the demand for electrical energy is continuously increasing in both in alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) systems.

TotalEnergies, a global integrated multi‑energy company, and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar, a global clean energy leader, have signed a binding agreement to establish a $2.2bn 50/50 joint venture (JV) that will merge their onshore renewable activities in nine countries across Asia.

The current geopolitical storm will certainly put more focus on energy resilience, and renewable energy’s middle name is resilience. But resilience also exists in a market environment and economics always matter. 

When I went to High school in the sixties (!) in the Netherlands, a young football player emerged from the, then, victorious Ajax team. I have no idea if you remember him or have heard of him, but he finally made it to the top-5 star players of all times, after Messi, Pelé, Maradona and Ronaldo!

At the end of last year, we published a joint report with our Lead Partner INNIO highlighting how data centers can act as “super offtakers” for de-risking giga-scale renewable projects and help accelerating the hydrogen market in the Middle East. However, the recent drone disruptions to cloud infrastructure in the Gulf have shifted the conversation from just lower emission solutions to physical resilience. 

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has shaken global energy markets. Oil and gas flows have been disrupted, prices have jumped, and supply routes are under threat. But instead of slowing down the global energy transition, these events show why the world must accelerate it.