In this episode of the EU Energy projects podcast, Siemens Energy’s Mark Kuschel tells Areti Ntaradimou how the LIFE Blue 420KV GIS project is pioneering SF6 free HV switchgear and digital monitoring.

The drive to phase out SF6 as a high global warming potential gas from electricity switchgear has been gathering momentum. Already its ban has been in place in Europe for new MV switchgear starting 1 January, and with new HV switchgear up to 145kV set to follow from 1 January 2028.

This has resulted in the development of alternatives by vendors, as part of which Siemens Energy is leading the LIFE Blue 420kV GIS project, pioneering the use of a natural origin mixture of nitrogen and oxygen, or ‘clean air’ as the company calls it, for use in 420kV switchgear.

In the latest episode of the EU Energy Projects Podcast, we revisit the EU-funded BEGONIA project to explore how it is helping lay the foundations for next-generation Operational Digital Platforms (ODPs) in the energy and transport sectors.

Unlike conventional research initiatives, BEGONIA was designed as a Coordination and Support Action, focused on preparing the ground for large-scale digital cooperation. As Niccolò Fattirolli, COO of Olivo Energy and lead for stakeholder engagement, explains, the project’s mission has been to identify best practices across Europe, develop promising use cases, and bring them close to real-world implementation.

In this episode of the EU Energy Projects Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou spoke with Leon Nielsen from CIRCE Technology Centre, a leading Spanish research and innovation organisation at the forefront of Europe’s energy transition.

The conversation explored how policy, technology, and collaboration intersect to shape a more sustainable, flexible, and resilient energy system.

Based in Zaragoza, CIRCE plays a crucial role in translating research into real-world solutions. As Nielsen explained, their work spans electricity production and storage, industrial decarbonisation, transport, digitalisation, and energy efficiency.

They discussed three flagship initiatives that illustrate this approach. Project Chronicle, Reflex and EFORT.

In this episode of the EU Energy Projects Podcast Jonathan Spencer Jones is joined by Ilias Zafieropoulos, Technology Director at Ubitech Energy and coordinator of the HYNET project. The interest in DC power systems has surged, driven by the growing use of power electronic-based loads and the increasing deployment of distributed energy resource, many of which operate in DC or include a DC stage. The HYNET project is one of a cluster of projects advancing DC technologies.

Catch up on the latest episodes: https://www.enlit.world/about-us/eu-energy-projects-podcast

In the latest episode of the EU Energy Projects Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou had the pleasure of speaking with Ainhoa Cortés, project lead of Project WILLOW, an EU-funded initiative tackling one of offshore wind’s most pressing and least visible challenges: how to balance energy production with the long-term health of wind turbines.

At the heart of the project is an ambitious integration of structural health monitoring, physical models, and AI-driven tools. WILLOW combines SCADA data, accelerometer readings, corrosion and coating sensors, and machine-learning models to produce far more accurate lifetime predictions. This makes it possible not only to detect damage earlier, but also to make smarter operational decisions. For example, curtailing a turbine already showing signs of degradation rather than one in good condition.

In this episode of the EU Energy Projects Podcast we’re joined by Juho Kivelä from the INDEPENDENT and RESONANCE projects and Joseba Jimeno from GLocalFlex and ELEXIA. Four projects belonging to the same cluster, namely the Energy Nexus Cluster. Their work drives Europe’s transition toward smarter energy management, flexible local energy systems, and cleaner, more connected urban environments.

In this episode of the EU Energy Projects Podcast, host Jonathan Spencer Jones speaks with Stavros Stamatoukos, Policy Officer for Digitalisation and AI at DG Energy, about the EU’s growing framework of policy and legislative actions on AI and digitalisation in the energy sector.

Recorded during Enlit Europe 2025, this wide-ranging conversation offers rare insight into how policymakers are balancing innovation, regulation, and system security in Europe’s energy transition.

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In this episode of the EU Energy Projects podcast, Jonathan Spencer Jones hears from Eduard Escalona Zorita and Fernando Cassola how open-source space data can be used in the energy sector.

Over the course of less than a lifetime, space exploration has evolved from the launch of the first satellite to a multi-billion dollar/euro industry with ever increasing numbers of satellites providing round-the-clock services and scientific and other data on our Earth system.

As the data has become more sophisticated and diverse, it has attracted interest from multiple sectors for monitoring and management – not least in the energy sector with the increasing demands and complexity of the energy transition.

As the agency for the EU’s space programme, EUSPA provides a range of space-based services for public and private users, in particular based on the Copernicus Earth observation and Galileo global navigation programmes.

Ports are key hubs in the energy transition, at the heart of countries’ economies and with diverse energy users from heavy, energy intensive industries to small businesses and multiple transport types.

In this episode, Areti Ntaradimou speaks with Ivan Jimenez, President of the Port Authority of Bilbao about the BilbOPS project — a €115 million EU-backed initiative aiming to fully electrify the port by 2027, well ahead of regulatory deadlines, through a collaborative clean energy-sharing model.

In this episode of the EU Energy Projects Podcast Areti Ntaradimou is joined by Christos Christodoulou, coordinator of CABLEGNOSIS, a project developing next-generation power cable technologies to support Europe’s clean energy transition. From advanced materials to AI-based diagnostics, CABLEGNOSIS is helping build the reliable, renewable-ready grid that Europe needs for 2030 and beyond.