From using artificial intelligence (AI) to optimise energy grids to pioneering projects in green ammonia, Europe is witnessing a transformation driven by both policy and entrepreneurship.

“Europe has set the rules of the road,” says Anne Marie Engtoft Meldgaard, Denmark's Tech Ambassador, responsible for representing the Danish Government to the global tech industry. She is reflecting on nearly a decade of European leadership in technology regulation.

“But that’s not enough to win a global race. You have to be building technology.”

Meldgaard is keen to emphasise the fact that although regulation is crucial for security, competition and cybersecurity, Europe must also invest in entrepreneurs and scale up its technology companies to become a true global player.

AI as the main driver
Melgaard believes strongly that AI is at the heart of this transformation:

“There’s a lot of hope and optimism around how artificial intelligence can help us meet the very ambitious goals around the green transition, especially around energy efficiency and grid optimisation.”

She highlights real-world applications such as the Danish Meteorological Institute’s use of AI and supercomputing to improve the accuracy of weather forecasting – a critical element in the management of logistics, energy grids and the mix of renewable resources. But the promised potential of AI also brings challenges.

“Right now, AI most likely causes a net negative impact on the environment,” Meldgaard explains, referring to the massive energy consumption of the data centres that power AI.

To ensure that productivity and efficiency gains are balanced against environmental impact, Melgaard calls for incentives to be introduced to encourage the responsible use of AI by industry and by consumers.

“When you prompt ChatGPT, or whichever one you use, it’s about ten times more energy-intensive than if you do a traditional search online,” she explains, urging both industry and consumers to be mindful of when and how AI is used.

From idea to action
In practical terms, Danish businesses are turning vision into reality.

​​Bjarke Mollerup Bitsch of Skovgaard Energy describes how the company has evolved from being a traditional wind turbine developer into a leader in dynamic power-to-ammonia technology. Their power-to-ammonia plant uses wind and solar energy to produce ‘green ammonia’, a chemical compound that can be used to store energy that can then be used to power ships, for industrial applications and much more.

“The dynamic element of our ammonia production means that our project has the ability to adapt to the fluctuations that we see in the availability of green energy and in relation to price structures. Energy prices rise and fall, and so does production. So, when we say our project is dynamic, it means that our production can follow those fluctuations,” Bitsch explains.

Ammonia is a versatile chemical compound used in shipping and agriculture and is one of the world’s most produced chemicals. Conventional ammonia production accounts for a large amount of global CO2 emissions, but at Skovgaard’s demonstration plant ‘green ammonia’ is now being produced using wind and solar power in a process that creates virtually no CO2.

Bitsch is also keen to stress the need for scalable solutions:

“Our ambition is to take the demonstration plant that we have built here and take that to scale. We can produce 10,000 tonnes of ammonia here. In a global context, that’s a drop in the ocean, but if we don’t have the ambition to take that to scale, I think the drop becomes irrelevant. So the ambition here is really to show that the proof of concept here can actually be applied on a broader scale. And that’s our ambition towards 2030.”

Together we are stronger
Partnership represents another area of importance according to Bitsch:

“There’s not a single company nor a single country that can succeed with this on their own. The secret to success here lies within partnership – and it lies within being able to open the books, have trust, and also being willing to share the potential business opportunity.”

“We decided to treat this relatively old company as if it were a startup with a strong base, but with the agility and the ability to work with speed like you’ll see in young startups.”

Anne Marie Engtoft Meldgaard and Bjarke Mollerup Bitsch both agree that partnerships and clear policy frameworks are essential, with Meldgaard additionally stressing the importance of aligning digital and green transitions.

“Regulation must give businesses confidence, provide benefits for citizens and support systems resilience. The same principles that are now shaping AI and digital governance – interoperability, trust and accountability – must shape energy, too,” she argues.

As Europe looks ahead to new policy initiatives and technological breakthroughs, the message is clear: innovation, collaboration and responsible governance will shape the continent’s energy future – project by project, contract by contract and with a vision that local action can spark global change.