Technology

Swiss utility Axpo has built a PV system inside the dish of a disused satellite run by data-center operator Leuk TDC. Satellite dishes can be used to produce solar power, as they can be flexibly aligned to the sun.

Germany’s BayWa r.e. and Denmark’s Velux have announced the first agrivoltaic corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) in Europe. BayWa will build two solar parks in Spain to power Velux’s operations, with capacities of 60 MWp and 56 MWp. One of them will partly be an agricultural PV project.

Amptricity has emerged from stealth mode with plans to manufacture solid-state batteries for residential and commercial installations.

GKN Aerospace has demonstrated the feasibility of using a liquid hydrogen fuel source to increase the endurance of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) for search and rescue. Germany, meanwhile, has announced €550 million ($572 million) of fresh funding for hydrogen projects across the world.

Argentina and Chile are reactivating the Andes Interconnection Line to facilitate the bidirectional exchange of energy. During the day, Argentina will receive 80 MW of solar from Chile, but it will export back 200 MW of natural gas at night.

Dansk Solenergi, a Danish building-integrated PV specialist, has launched a round, 95 W solar module that works as a PV signboard. Its 35 solar cells, which remain hidden behind an image of Earth, have an efficiency of 18.5%.

JinkoSolar’s newest PV module has an efficiency rating of 23.86%. It is based on its TOPCon mono cell tech, which achieved a record efficiency of 26.1% in October, as confirmed by TÜV Rheinland.

The PV sector has significant implications for the economy, society and the environment. Positive impacts show that PV is a key contributor on the path to sustainability, and that highlighting these benefits could raise social and political acceptance in the transition to sustainable energy.

Hyme Energy and Bornholms Energi & Forsyning are building a pilot project to store clean electricity with molten salt. The system will likely start providing heat, power and ancillary services by 2024.

German researchers have created an algorithm to predict and identify string yield losses or underperforming strings without additional weather data. It could be used to inspect modules, strings, arrays, inverters, and transformers.