Traditional coastal protection is under pressure. Sea levels are rising, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, more and more stretches of coastline are eroding, and at the same time, coastal areas are heavily utilized—as residential, economic, natural, and recreational spaces. Simply raising dikes higher and higher is not the best solution in many places, either technically or ecologically. The EU research project DuneFront is therefore investigating how hard protective structures can be combined with dynamic natural elements. Ultimately, DuneFront aims to help develop new concepts for the planning and construction of nature-based dune-and-dike solutions. These solutions are intended to better protect coastlines, promote biodiversity, and, at the same time, blend more seamlessly into the landscape than purely technical structures.

Beach grass may seem unremarkable, but it can play a crucial role in coastal protection. The plant grows in areas where sand is constantly shifting. When it becomes buried in sand, it responds by producing new growth and developing additional root systems. In this way, it stabilizes dunes from within, helping to make coastlines more resilient to storm surges, rough seas, and rising sea levels.

It is precisely this interplay between vegetation, sand movement, and erosion that is at the heart of the Technical University of Berlin’s contribution to the EU research project DuneFront. This international collaborative project is investigating so-called dune-dike hybrids: coastal protection systems in which natural or near-natural dunes interact with engineered dike structures. The goal is to develop new concepts for sustainable, aesthetically pleasing, and nature-based coastal protection.

Dunes as an important line of defense against storm surges and erosion

Dunes can serve as an important first line of defense. They slow down wind and waves, trap sand, provide habitat for specialized species, and can continue to develop on their own under suitable conditions. The project is investigating how resilient such systems are, what role plants play in their stability, and how dune-dike hybrids behave during storm surges at twelve locations along European coasts—from Portugal through France, Belgium, and the Netherlands to Germany and Sweden.

The selected sites are not designed as abstract test beds. Many of them are already considered particularly insightful examples of how dunes and dikes can work together in coastal protection or how nature-based solutions can be further developed. In the Netherlands, for example, the so-called “sand motor” has been used to deposit sand over a large area off the coast, which is then distributed by the sea and ocean currents. On the Belgian coast, meanwhile, there are sections where dune growth is specifically initiated, enhanced, and monitored in front of existing dikes. DuneFront builds on such well-developed examples to derive transferable knowledge for the future planning of nature-based coastal protection solutions.

The TU Article: How Plants Contribute to Coastal Protection

The team at TU Berlin focuses on the vegetation of sandy coastal dunes and on the biophysical interactions between plants, sand accumulation, and erosion. The research is being conducted in the Department of Plant Ecology under the direction of Prof. Dr. Boris Schröder-Esselbach.

“Vegetation can respond to changing conditions. That’s a major advantage over a dike, which is designed and built once and then remains in place,” says Dr. Jana Carus, who is working on the project together with doctoral student Malia Scoville. Plants stabilize dunes with their roots, but their shape and structure also trap sand carried by the wind above ground. This allows new dunes to form or existing dunes to continue growing.

Particular attention is being paid to beach grass, a key dune-forming plant species. It is adapted to an environment where sand is constantly shifting. When repeatedly covered with sand, it continues to grow upward and forms new roots. This characteristic makes it particularly interesting for exploring how dunes can be stabilized or regenerated through targeted planting.

Research Between the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the North Sea

For its research, TU Berlin is conducting studies at several European coastal sites. These include a site on the Mediterranean coast near Sainte-Marie-la-Mer in southern France, a site on the French Atlantic coast, and St. Peter-Ording on the German North Sea coast. The latter site is particularly informative for the project because a large natural dune there provides protection along a section of the mainland coast—a function that is otherwise typically fulfilled by a dike.

In the field and in the laboratory, researchers record plant species, plant characteristics, and vegetation structures. They measure how stable roots are, how dense and long root systems become, and what characteristics the above-ground parts of plants have. This data is combined with drone imagery, laser scans, and terrain models. This makes it possible to understand how dunes change and what role vegetation plays in sand deposition and erosion control. In St. Peter-Ording, the team conducted particularly detailed measurements. During the growing season, they repeatedly recorded plants, landforms, and vegetation development there. Drone images provide terrain models and vegetation indices, while laser scans show in detail where sand is being eroded or deposited.

Wind tunnel on the dune, wave tank in the laboratory

In addition to fieldwork, experiments play a central role. Wind and wave flume tests are conducted in collaboration with project partners. A particularly unusual approach comes from Utrecht University: Its researchers bring a mobile wind tunnel directly onto the dune. This allows them to study, under controlled conditions, how sand is moved by the wind, how plants slow down the sand, and how new deposits form as a result.

The results from the twelve demonstration sites will be incorporated into digital models. These so-called “Predictive Digital Twins” are intended to help predict the development of dune-dike hybrids under various conditions: How do dunes grow? When do they erode? What vegetation stabilizes them? And how do such systems respond to storm surges?

Two young beavers are the stars of a special conservation success story in England

Sometimes nature impressively demonstrates that species can return if we restore the habitat they need.

In Norfolk, England, beaver cubs born in the wild have now been confirmed for the first time in more than 500 years.

The two young beavers live with their parents along the Wensum River in the Pensthorpe Nature Reserve. Their birth is considered a special milestone, as beavers had disappeared from the wild in England for centuries.

Little Builders with a Big Impact

Beavers are much more than just a species making a comeback. They can transform entire landscapes.

With their dams and canals, they retain water in the landscape for longer, create new wetlands, and thereby provide habitat for numerous other animal and plant species.

Such natural water reservoirs can be especially valuable during periods of heat and drought. At the same time, beaver habitats can help retain water during heavy rains.

Species conservation can work

The return of the beaver to various regions of Europe shows that consistent conservation efforts and suitable habitats can make a difference.

Even though the animals can cause local conflicts and proper management remains essential, their return is an example of how lost species are not necessarily lost forever.

Nature can make a comeback—if we give it the space to do so.

Facts & Figures

: 500+ Years There hasn't been a documented birth of a wild beaver in Norfolk for that long.

Two beaver cubs
have now been spotted on the Wensum River.

More Habitat
Beavers create new habitats for numerous species by building dams, ponds, and canals.

Natural Water Retention
Your actions can help keep water in the landscape longer.

The summer of 2026 has so far been a stress test for the Austrian power system: exceptionally high temperatures, little precipitation, and a great deal of solar power. While hydropower generation was curtailed due to the prolonged drought, solar power regularly peaked at midday—resulting in plenty of affordable domestic electricity and occasional surpluses. In the evening, PV production drops rapidly, while consumption and prices rise. It is precisely this gap that more storage systems will need to bridge in the future.

Last Saturday serves as a prime example: With daily consumption of 120.1 GWh, Austria generated 117.8 GWh of electricity, about 30 percent of which came from solar power. At noon, solar power generation peaked at 4.3 GW, while the daily load peak of 6.1 GW in the evening coincided with virtually no solar power generation. This situation is also reflected in electricity prices: The average wholesale price from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. was 14 euros/MWh, while in the evening hours it was around 180 euros/MWh. Our task is clear: to store affordable electricity from the midday peak and make it available for the more expensive evening hours.

“Energy must be safe, clean, and affordable. This hot summer clearly shows what we need to achieve that: more storage. When we have a surplus of affordable domestic electricity at noon, we need to be able to store it for the evening—instead of having to buy expensive electricity from abroad. Our goal is clear: to make better use of affordable domestically generated electricity. To do this, we need more storage capacity deployed effectively—from household-scale systems to large-scale battery storage and our pumped-storage facilities. This is exactly what we’re now focusing our energy policy on even more strongly.”

Economic Affairs Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer in a press release

To this end, the Department of Energy is implementing the following measures, among others, as part of a storage initiative:

New Photovoltaic Incentive Program Focused on Energy Storage
Inclusion of Energy Storage Infrastructure in the New Grid Infrastructure Plan
Acceleration of Approval Procedures for Battery Storage Systems (EABG)
Dedicated Incentive Program for Smart Energy Management Systems for Households and Businesses

“The challenge isn’t that we generate too little affordable domestic electricity in the summer. We need to make it available when we need it. When used properly, storage systems transfer affordable solar power from midday to the more expensive evening hours. That’s exactly what makes our energy system more efficient and, at the same time, reduces the strain on the grids,” Hattmannsdorfercontinued .

At the same time, according to the ministry, the Austrian electricity system has demonstrated its high level of supply reliability even under these challenging conditions. The latest figures from E-Control show that Austria has one of the most reliable electricity and gas supplies in Europe. This strength must be safeguarded—with high-performance grids, greater resilience, and sufficient storage capacity to ensure that affordable domestic generation is available precisely when it is actually needed.

Funding policy will be realigned starting in 2027

With the rapid expansion of photovoltaics, the challenges facing the electricity system have changed: What matters most is no longer just how much electricity is produced, but when it is available, can be stored, and helps relieve the strain on the grids. When used intelligently, battery storage systems can capture excess electricity at midday and make it available when demand and prices rise in the evening.

For this reason, the EAG investment incentive program is to undergo a fundamental realignment starting in 2027.

Key Points of the Reform

End of “First-Come, First-Served”: In the future, it should be possible to submit grant applications after installation and submission of invoices—following the “tradesperson bonus” principle.
Focus on smart energy management systems combined with storage: Broad subsidies for traditional small PV systems are set to phase out. Future focus will be on energy management systems and smart storage solutions that increase self-consumption and reduce strain on the grid.
Retrofitting existing PV systems: Storage systems, in combination with the installation of an energy management system (EMS), should be eligible for funding even if they are not part of a new PV system installation. This will make retrofitting existing systems more attractive.
Innovative PV remains eligible for funding: Building-integrated PV, agri-PV, parking lot canopies, floating PV, and systems on noise barriers will continue to be supported.
Strengthening “Made in Europe”: European value creation will continue to be taken into account in the new funding framework. Those who rely on European production for key components will receive a bonus.

High Storage Potential in Austria

According to preliminary figures from a storage study commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, up to 8 GW of market-oriented battery capacity would be beneficial from an economic perspective by 2030.
According to this study, depending on the scenario, additional battery storage could reduce the wholesale price by up to 2 euros per MWh by 2030.
In purely mathematical terms, based on a half-yearly consumption of around 34 TWh, this would correspond to a potential savings of up to 68 million euros for the first half of 2026.
According to industry forecasts, more than 3.2 GWh of battery storage is currently installed in Austria, with the majority of storage systems having a capacity of less than 50 kWh. In addition, 6.2 GW of pumped-storage capacity is installed in Austria.

E-Control Required for Storage Rules

In addition to feed-in tariffs, grid fees are also crucial for the necessary expansion of energy storage. Therefore, the right framework conditions for energy storage are needed so that projects can be economically viable. At the same time, the number and design of the criteria for grid-supporting storage provided for in the current E-Control draft must be reviewed once again. The framework conditions must be practical and sufficiently broad so that the expansion of storage is not hindered by requirements that are too restrictive.

Association Welcomes Greater Emphasis on Energy Storage and Energy Management in the Funding System

The Federal Association of Photovoltaics & Batteries Austria (PV&B Austria) generally welcomes the realignment of the subsidy system announced by Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer. Photovoltaics have advanced significantly in recent years, while acquisition costs have fallen substantially. In addition to the continued expansion of PV power generation, greater emphasis must therefore be placed on the storage and smart distribution of the PV electricity generated. The association also believes that future subsidies should be directed in particular toward electricity storage and energy management systems.

We now need clarity as soon as possible on how the funding will be structured starting next year. In any case, it must be straightforward and available early next year.

Electric cars, energy storage systems, and mobile devices are driving up global demand for batteries. However, this is also giving rise to a second resource: millions of batteries whose raw materials can be recycled back into the cycle after their initial use.

A recent study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Battery Cell Research and Production (FFB), the University of Münster, Porsche Consulting, and Volkswagen shows just how rapidly this market is now growing. The results were published in July 2026 in the renowned journal *Nature Energy*.

The key forecast: By 2030, the volume of end-of-life batteries and battery materials to be recycled is expected to triple.

As a result, battery recycling could evolve from a relatively small part of the battery industry into a key component of Europe's raw materials supply.

Today, the majority of it still comes from production

The industry is still in a transitional phase.

About 70 percent of the current recycling material comes from production waste generated during battery manufacturing. Old vehicle batteries have played a much smaller role so far. The reason is simple: electric vehicles have only been on Europe’s roads in significant numbers for a few years. Their batteries, however, remain in use for many years. According to the researchers, the industrial ramp-up of battery recycling therefore lags behind battery production by about ten years.

Starting in 2030, the picture is likely to change significantly. By then, about 60 percent of the recovered materials could come from end-of-life vehicle batteries and other sources outside of production.

Recovering Valuable Raw Materials

Modern batteries contain raw materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, and graphite. Today, Europe must import a large portion of many of these materials.

Recycling can return some of these materials to European production.

Technologically, a great deal is already possible. Pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes can recover valuable components from used lithium-ion batteries.

The challenge, therefore, lies less and less in whether batteries can be recycled and more in operating these processes economically on a very large scale.

This is precisely where researchers expect to see a significant surge in development in the coming years.

The next generation is making recycling more challenging

At the same time, the battery itself changes.

In addition to traditional lithium-ion batteries, other cell chemistries and designs are increasingly entering the market. These include LFP batteries, sodium-ion batteries, and, in the future, solid-state batteries.

This poses a challenge for recycling companies.

While sodium-ion batteries can generally be integrated into existing process chains, they require customized material flows. Solid-state batteries, on the other hand, could necessitate entirely new safety and recovery procedures.

Recycling facilities of the future must therefore be significantly more flexible than today's facilities.

Facts & Figures

Threefold increase: By 2030, the volume of end-of-life batteries and materials to be recycled is expected to triple.

70 percent: That is roughly the current proportion of production waste in recycled materials.

60 percent: Starting in 2030, approximately 60 percent of the recycled material from old vehicle batteries and other sources could come from outside the production process.

About 10 years: According to the researchers' estimates, this is the time lag between the ramp-up of battery production and the ramp-up of battery recycling.

New Technologies: Sodium-ion and solid-state batteries will also enter the recycling cycle in the future.

Recycling Is Becoming a Strategic Industry

For Europe, this is about more than just waste recycling.

Lithium, nickel, cobalt, and other battery raw materials are strategically important resources. While a functioning European recycling system cannot completely replace imports, it can, in the long term, make an increasing portion of the required materials available again.

At the same time, new industrial value chains are emerging—from collection and transportation through automated disassembly and sorting to the recovery and reprocessing of raw materials.

The battery of the future may no longer be produced exclusively in a mine.

A growing portion of their raw materials could come from batteries that have already powered an electric car or stored energy for years.

Conclusio

Electric mobility is not only leading to a growing demand for batteries in Europe; it is also creating an enormous future supply of raw materials.

For now, most of the recycled material still comes from battery production. But in the coming years, millions of vehicle batteries will reach the end of their first useful life.

If we succeed in building up recycling capacity in time and scaling up the processes in a cost-effective manner, today's batteries could become tomorrow's key sources of raw materials.

A waste disposal problem is thus giving rise to a new European circular economy.

Europe is once again experiencing a summer of severe wildfires. Heat, drought, and strong winds have fueled numerous large wildfires in recent weeks. Spain, France, Greece, and parts of the Balkans have been particularly hard hit. But 2026 is also revealing a trend that is causing growing concern: large wildfires are occurring with increasing frequency outside the traditional wildfire regions of Southern Europe.

As early as July, the area burned in the European Union was already well above the long-term average. According to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), 254,388 hectares had been burned by July 22.

Since then, the situation has worsened significantly. In Spain alone, more than 244,000 hectares had already been affected by fires as of August 10. Major fires also broke out in France, Greece, Croatia, and other regions.

So far, 2025 remains the record year

A comparison of the areas burned in the EU shows just how extraordinary the past few years have been:

2023: approximately 500,000 hectares
2024: 383,317 hectares
2025: 1,079,538 hectares
2026: already several hundred thousand hectares—the season is still underway

This made 2025 the worst year for wildfires since EFFIS records began in 2006. More than one million hectares burned within the EU—nearly twice the long-term average.

During a prolonged heat wave in August 2025 alone, approximately 460,000 hectares were burned in 22 particularly large fires in Portugal and Spain.

Forest fires are spreading to Central Europe

The geographic spread is particularly striking in 2026.

In Belgium, approximately 3,000 hectares are currently burning in the Hohes Venn nature reserve. This is the largest forest fire ever recorded there. The fire is already more than twice as large as Belgium’s previous record-breaking fire from 2011.

North Rhine-Westphalia also experienced the largest wildfire in its history in August. More than 300 hectares were affected, and over 2,000 people had to temporarily evacuate their homes.

Even the United Kingdom is already reporting a record number of wildfires in 2026.

This highlights what European researchers have been observing for years: The traditional wildfire season is changing. In some cases, fires are starting earlier, lasting longer, and increasingly occurring in regions that were not previously considered traditional European wildfire areas.

Southern Europe on fire - climate change exacerbates forest fire risk

Not every wildfire is a result of climate change

The immediate causes of wildfires vary. Many fires are caused by human behavior, technical malfunctions, negligence, or arson. Lightning strikes can also spark fires.

However, the condition of the landscape is a key factor in its spread.

High temperatures, long dry spells, low soil moisture, and parched vegetation create conditions under which a small fire can very quickly develop into a major blaze. At the same time, abandoned farmland and large amounts of dry biomass can provide additional fuel.

That is why the European forest fire strategy has long since ceased to focus exclusively on more firefighting aircraft and fire departments. Prevention, forest restoration, landscape management, water retention, and the reduction of combustible material are becoming increasingly crucial.

Facts & Figures

In the EU, more than 60,000 forest fires occur each year over the long term.

On average, about 500,000 hectares are burned—an area nearly twice the size of Luxembourg.

The economic damage caused by wildfires in Europe is estimated at around 2 billion euros annually.

In 2025, 1,079,538 hectares burned in the EU—a record since EFFIS records began.

Of that total, approximately 424,000 hectares were located within Natura 2000 protected areas.

By July 22, 2026, 254,388 hectares had already burned—more than the average for this time of year over the past 20 years.

Conclusio

Europe will not be able to completely prevent wildfires. The key factor will be how well forests, landscapes, and communities adapt to an increasing risk of wildfires.

The summer of 2026 demonstrates once again that wildfire prevention is no longer a concern limited exclusively to Spain, Portugal, Italy, or Greece.

When even Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom are reporting new records for wildfires, Europe’s risk map is changing.