Újbuda Gets Approval to Explore Its Geothermal Energy Potential Budapest’s Újbuda district has received approval to examine whether geothermal energy can contribute to its future heating and energy needs. The decision places one of the capital’s most densely populated districts at the centre of Hungary’s broader effort to make better use of its underground thermal resources. The approval does not mean that a geothermal power plant or district-heating system will be built immediately. Instead, it allows the district and its partners to investigate the geological conditions, technical feasibility, environmental implications and financial requirements of using heat stored beneath the city. The project could eventually support cleaner heating, reduce dependence on imported natural gas and strengthen Budapest’s energy resilience. Its success, however, will depend on careful geological research, responsible water management, transparent public consultation and a realistic financing model. Wh...
From Steam Engines to Servers: How a Historic Norwegian Factory Site is Reinventing Energy for the Future By: Robert Buluma In the heart of Telemark, Norway, where rivers once powered the industrial revolution, a quiet but profound transformation is taking place. The riverbanks that echoed with the clatter of heavy machinery are now the site of a different kind of innovation—one that merges the ancient stability of the Earth’s core with the high-tech hum of the digital age. The project is Nye Skotfoss Brug. It is a story about respecting the past while building a carbon-free future. It’s a story about taking waste—specifically, waste heat—and turning it into a community asset. And at its core, it’s a masterclass in circular energy economics. Let’s unpack how a team of forward-thinking developers, geothermal drilling experts, and energy system designers are turning a historic industrial site into a "futura district"—a blueprint for how we might heat our homes and power our l...