Belgium

Netherlands-based developer Giga Storage has obtained the irrevocable permit for the construction of a 600 MW/2,400 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Belgium.

Fluvius, Belgium’s electricity grid operator, says it will compensate residential PV systems at €10.60 ($11.49) per kVa if they are not reconnected within 30 working days after a curtailment event.

Enapter has secured four new orders for its AEM Nexus 1000 megawatt-class electrolyzer, while Fraunhofer IWU says it has started working on electron beam welding technology to overcome the speed limitations of laser beam scanner welding.

The Belgian automotive company said system can integrate either TOPCon, HJT, or xBC solar cells. The VIPV unit features a glass-glass construction and it does not need a roller blind system.

Belgium’s cumulative installed PV capacity surpassed 10 GW at the end of December 2023.

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.

ODE Vlaanderen, a renewable energy association in Belgium, says the Flanders region likely added more than 1 GW of solar capacity in 2023. While the residential market will probably have less orders in early 2024, the organization says it expects strong growth in the large-scale market.

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.

Belgian PV product distributor Ecostal has acquired Project Zero, a business-to-business specialist in Flanders, Belgium. It did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.

Philippe de Donato and Jacques Pironon, researchers at a French laboratory, are actively searching for white hydrogen in collaboration with gas company Française De l’Énergie. Pironon told pv magazine that they plan to continue exploration next year to confirm their thesis that deeper digging yields more hydrogen.