Sustainability

With so much more agricultural real estate than Europe, the United States is building on the body of research built up across The Pond and rolling out solar panels on farmland at an impressive rate.

In November 2022, Germany’s Energie Baden Württemberg and steelmaker Salzgitter Group signed one of Europe’s first power purchase agreements (PPAs) for hydrogen production. More have followed and with the European Union introducing rules to govern green hydrogen, an industry is planning for its future.

Scientists have used remote sensing to analyze the effect solar farms have across 116 sites worldwide. They found that the cooling effect is higher during the daytime, with albedo decreasing by 0.016 for most facilities.

New research has shown that solar parks can play a positive role in promoting bird diversity in the agricultural landscape of Central Europe. The scientists said solar farms offer food availability and nesting sites.

China-based TAILG has revealed its new sodium-ion battery technology. The company’s luxury e-bikes will be the first to feature its sodium-ion batteries, and they will initially be available in China.

The climate crisis threatens water management and the water crisis in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 2023 illustrates the damage new industrial projects could cause if not thoroughly assessed. With green hydrogen projects gaining international prominence, it is vital they are properly planned.

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) has launched a smartphone app to help consumers use more electricity at times of high renewable energy availability.

Europe is witnessing a surge in power purchase agreements (PPAs). Over the past four years, the number of European PPA transactions has trebled. More than 180 deals were signed in 2022 alone and the trend is expected to continue, especially for solar projects.

The application of busbarless cell interconnection approaches could unlock the potential of heterojunction (HJT) technology, primarily by reducing the historically high silver usage of negatively-doped, “n-type” cell technology. As HJT manufacturing increases, a wave of applications may very well be on the horizon.

Scientists from Israel have calculated how long it would take for PV plants and afforestation projects to offset their warming impacts caused by the darkening of land. The results showed that in drylands, PV fields could be over 50 times more efficient than afforestation.