Policy

Opportunities for developers in the US are plentiful after the Inflation Reduction Act, but the challenges are growing too. We spoke to one developer, Bluestar Energy Capital, about its diversification plans.

Portuguese police have raided 42 properties looking for evidence of government corruption in four projects, including a green hydrogen hub in Sines. Prime Minister Antonio Costa has quit, the government is shaking, and there are tough questions for future tenders.

The European Union has promised to unveil support for Europe's troubled turbine makers in 2024, but will this be enough to help them stand firm against Chinese rivals?

India is set to close bidding in its first green hydrogen tender this week. This will give us a clear indication of how the private sector has received all of the policy support announced by the government in the last 12 months.

It is three months until business and political leaders gather in Dubai for the COP28 conference, which could spur further investment in the global wind industry. But an oil and gas powerhouse is an unlikely location for action to reduce $7trn of subsidies paid annually to fossil fuel firms.

Australia was one of the first countries to commit to hydrogen, and it has followed up with initiatives including its A$2bn Hydrogen Headstart fund. But faced with stiff international competition for investment, it is at risk of squandering its early-mover advantage.

The US Department of Energy has shared its strategy for growing the low-carbon hydrogen sector, including a focus on high-priority off-takers, cost-cutting and regional hubs. Its willingness to engage with hydrogen's biggest challenges should hope to green hydrogen investors.

European countries are poised to use Contracts for Difference as the default way they award support for new renewables projects, but policymakers must also learn lessons from the UK experience.

The UK Government has followed the announcement of its first Net Zero Hydrogen Fund winning projects by publishing more details about its hydrogen strategy. But it is blue hydrogen projects, not green, that have dominated so far.

Onshore wind developers in Poland are used to punishing policies, but a late change last month to rules that were designed to unlock onshore wind projects is a cruel twist.

Spain awarded just 1.3% of the 3.3GW capacity in its 2022 renewables tender, which is a wake-up call for governments.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 pledging support for renewables.