The European Union's commitment to climate neutrality by 2050 has positioned hydrogen as a cornerstone technology for decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors and enabling energy system integration. Central to this transition are hydrogen valleys, integrated ‘ecosystems’ that connect the hydrogen value chain within geographically concentrated areas. Despite their strategic importance as building blocks for the hydrogen economy, hydrogen valleys face regulatory and governance barriers that may impede their development and scaling. This article addresses gaps in the emerging literature by mapping the evolution of hydrogen valleys from hydrogen territories to multi-sectoral ecosystems, while identifying key regulatory impediments to their deployment, revealing the absence of a coherent legislative definition that creates legal uncertainty and constitutes a barrier to hydrogen valley development. The analysis identifies five further primary barriers: (i) complex and fragmented funding mechanisms; (ii) the EU's strong policy preference for renewable hydrogen; (iii) fragmented permitting processes lacking streamlined valley-scale procedures; (iv) underutilisation of hydrogen's ‘nodal’ potential for system integration; and (v) a disconnect between the critical raw materials/hydrogen nexus. The article proposes regulatory solutions including establishing legislative parameters to define hydrogen valleys; implementing streamlined permitting procedures; adopting technologically neutral and coherent funding mechanisms; and emphasising hydrogen's role in energy storage and system flexibility. These reforms represent necessary conditions for transforming hydrogen valleys from promising concepts into operational cornerstones of the EU's hydrogen economy.
This article investigates the tensions between public participation and its three-pillar structure and the development of nuclear energy taking into account the specific characteristics of the energy source. The approach is a mixed one- using a doctrinal analysis of the texts of the Aarhus and Espoo Conventions, zooming in also on case-law from the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee and the Espoo Implementation Committee as well as using a socio-legal approach to public participation. This paper finds four main areas where there are tensions between public participation and nuclear energy development, namely: transparency, identifying the public concerned (especially in a transboundary context), early commencement of the participation procedures, and taking due account of the outcomes of the participation procedure.
The rapid development of artificial intelligence data centers presents unprecedented challenges for energy regulation, combining massive electricity demand growth with technical characteristics – rapid load ramping, extreme reliability requirements, and geographic concentration – that stress grid infrastructure in novel ways. This article examines how traditional energy regulatory frameworks struggle to accommodate AI infrastructure demands that could double global data center electricity consumption between 2022 and 2026. Through comparative legal analysis of United States and European Union regulatory responses, the article documents fundamental tensions across five dimensions. First, grid stability concerns emerge from AI facilities' rapid power variations that destabilize frequency control. Second, sustainability commitments conflict with utilities extending fossil fuel generation to meet data center demand. Third, affordability crises materialize when capacity market costs explode – PJM Interconnection's costs increased from $2.2 billion to $14.7 billion due to AI datacenter growth. Fourth, non-discrimination principles face pressure as regulators consider prioritizing loads with self-generation capability. And fifth, regulatory independence questions arise when executive branch AI strategies intersect with independent commission adjudication. The analysis reveals that traditional regulatory principles – first-come-first-served grid access, duty to serve, rate non-discrimination – prove inadequate for managing the scale and velocity of AI infrastructure deployment. Neither US nor EU jurisdictions have developed governance architectures bridging energy, telecommunications, and climate policy domains necessary for addressing challenges of this magnitude and pace.
Chile’s ambitious decarbonisation goals have driven a remarkable growth in renewable energy over the past decade. However, structural challenges such as transmission infrastructure constraints, suitable land scarcity, and rising community opposition now threaten the country’s ability to achieve its energy transition goals. This work explores agrivoltaic technology as a potential tool to overcome these barriers by enabling the dual use of land for agriculture and photovoltaic energy generation. Through the case study of Ayla Solar, Chile’s first commercial agrivoltaic project, and a comparative analysis of regulatory frameworks in France, Germany, and the United States, this work examines how Chile could promote the large-scale development of agrivoltaics as a strategic tool for its energy transition. It concludes that a clear and coherent regulatory framework is essential for agrivoltaics to become a viable solution in the Chilean Energy Market, allowing the country to address land-use conflicts while promoting local development and environmental sustainability.
