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“I like to say that the German storage market doesn’t work because of policy but despite policy sometimes! Lars Stephan,” Senior Manager Policy and Market Development, Fluence.

Germany’s energy storage market has been up and running for a decade and is just now starting to really ignite and cross some exciting milestones.

More and more projects are starting to be announced, construction is beginning and the German grid is starting to feel the benefit of having power storage backup when it is really needed.

“So if we look at the project scale at the moment, we have about 2 to 2.7 GWh of utility-scale energy storage projects deployed in Germany. And we have about 6.6 GWh of projects under construction that will come online by January 2027.”

Lots of policy changes are under consideration that will impact this market. From removing grid fee exemptions and setting up capacity markets to offering inertia services revenues. If Germany gets it right, the sector could boom. If it gets it wrong…

“Like with inertia, energy storage can be part of the solution, but you need to let us be part of the solution, by defining some kind of market mechanism that provides a price signal for energy storage. So it knows what to do, what not to do, in order to support the grid.”

Joining Sam on this episode of the Policy Dispatch is Lars Stephan, head of policy and market development at energy storage software developer Fluence.

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For more on storage, check out:

• Rystad Energy’s global storage outlook;
• ‘Storage needs a loud revolution’, an audio oped by SolarPowerEurope;
• ‘Playing the long-duration storage game’, episode of The Jolt
• Stay tuned for a new in-depth article on storage as well!

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Central and Eastern Europe needs to upgrade its building stock to plug leaks and reduce energy consumption. Some of the challenges the region faces are similar to those in other countries, some are more specific.

Rules and regulations are slowly but surely being adopted in this part of the world, funding streams are coming online and renovation support schemes are being designed.

Plenty of challenges like access to skilled labour still need to be addressed but all of the seeds have now been planted, hopefully a bumper harvest of higher renovation rates can be collected.

Adrian Joyce, secretary-general of Efficient Buildings Europe, joins the show to discuss how policies have evolved over the last two years and whether he is indeed optimistic about the sector’s progress.

This episode was recorded live at the biannual C4E Forum in the Croatian town of Cavtat. To listen to the previous episode recorded in 2023 during the last edition, click here.

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Europe’s energy market is a marvel of the modern world, connecting more than 600 million people together. It has helped increase energy security and is boosting the rollout of green and cheap power.

But the job is not done yet. More cross-border and regional cooperation is needed in order to take the energy market to the next level and allow countries to stand a chance of hitting their climate targets.

Øyvind Vessia, head of strategic regulatory projects at Ørsted, joins this week’s show to discuss the challenges facing regional cooperation, the risks that could be unleashed if more collaboration is not forthcoming and the benefits it promises to unlock.

This is a special live recording from WindEurope’s annual event in Copenhagen, produced in April 2025.

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The shipping sector is aiming to go net-zero by 2050. But to hit that lofty target, a number of policies will have to be implemented in order to get cleaner-burning fuels into circulation.

It requires a complete renewal of the industry’s way of doing business but progress is being made. Talks at the International Maritime Organisation in April resulted in an agreement on a number of measures that should help reduce emissions.

Jesse Fahnestock, Director of Decarbonisation at the Global Maritime Forum (GMF), joins this episode to explain what was agreed, how it will affect the industry and what the next steps look like.

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Decarbonisation objectives rely heavily on offshore wind providing cheap green electricity to power homes, infrastructure and businesses.

Turbines are being built out at sea at pace but more effort is needed in order to hit Europe’s lofty goals. A recent bumpy patch of uncertainty has held the sector back to an extent and now the best way forward is being charted by the industry.

Jakob Forman, lead regulatory advisor at Ørsted joins the show to share the findings of a new study aimed at proposing solutions to some of the sector’s main challenges. Jakob sat down with Sam at WindEurope’s recent annual conference in Copenhagen.

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Most of Finland’s electricity is sourced from carbon neutral energy sources as the country aims to go completely net-zero by 2035. So great are its decarbonisation ambitions that Finland wants to be carbon negative by 2050.

Helena Sarén, head of the Zero Carbon Future Mission at Business Finland joins the Policy Dispatch to lift the lid on how Finland has managed to steal such an impressive green march on other European countries.

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Buildings are at the heart of the energy transition. They soak up a lot of energy and spew out a lot of emissions. Improving the existing stock and making sure new builds are as green as possible is crucial to our global decarbonisation journey.

Across the continent of Africa, this challenge is playing out. New builds are the focus and policies are being developed constantly to weave sustainability factors into building codes and practices.

Mugure Njendu, Africa Programs Lead at the Global Buildings Performance network, joins the Policy Dispatch to explain why the continent has a massive opportunity to build better and not make the same mistakes European countries have made in the past.

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The energy transition is becoming more and more complex, new technologies are coming online, old ways of sourcing power are becoming obsolete and geopolitics are tearing up the rulebook.

That is why the ability to plan ahead, work through all the options, find the opportunities in our shift toward a greener world and pick as many winners as possible is a skill worth its weight in gold.

Jeremy Bentham headed the scenario team at Shell for well over a decade and on this edition of the show he shares his experience, what it taught him about the energy transition and how scenario planning is evolving in our changing world.

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If you would like to read more of Jeremy’s thoughts and analysis on the energy transition and wider societal issues, check out his newsletter here.

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