German manufacturer Viessmann says its new heat pumps have a coefficient of performance (COP) of up to 4.57 and a seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) of up to 4.4. The pumps have a heating output ranging from 32 kW to 128 kW, and a cooling capacity of 34 kW to 139 kW.

LG has developed two versions of its new enblock E storage system, each with usable energy capacities of 12.4 kWh and 15.5 kWh. It says the two models, sized at 451 mm x 330 mm, can be easily deployed in small spaces.

Scientists from Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have conceived a new experimental setup to conduct hail impact tests for photovoltaic modules. The first tests showed that monocrystalline panels lose less efficiency than their polycrystalline counterparts with the same number of busbars.

The Italian authorities have allocated 1,001 MW of renewables capacity in the nation’s 13th procurement exercise for clean energy. Developers have offered a maximum discount ranging between 2% and 6.3% from the auction ceiling price of €0.07759 ($0.0818)/kWh.

Scientists in Japan have fabricated an inverted pervoskite cell with a new bond/charge regulated defect passivation technique consisting of introducing bifunctional molecules onto the perovskite absorber. The device exhibited a low open circuit voltage deficit and remarkable stability.

The new products use propane (R290) as a refrigerant and have heating and cooling capacities ranging from 8 kW to 30 kW.

A Dutch-German research team has built an interdigitated back contact PV device with a new patterning approach based on the enhanced oxidation rates under the local laser-doped n++ BSF regions. The cell achieved an open-circuit voltage of 656.6 mV, a short-circuit current density of 40.38 A/mAcm2, and a fill factor of 77.39%.

New research from Belgium shows the importance of assessing inverter reliability by including climate-based PV panel degradation rates. The scientists found that, especially in hot and arid climates, PV inverters should be designed with parameters above the standard value.

Researchers in Norway have investigated the technical potential of implementing subsea pumped hydro storage at water depth not exceeding 2,000 m. They also identified potential locations for these storage systems based on energy density.

While investigating on the effects of wildfire smoke on rooftop PV installations, a group of scientists in Australia has discovered that solar arrays, due to their sensitivity to smoke, could serve as an early warning detection of wildfires by providing temporal and spatial information on the presence and approximate concentrations of smoke.