Eastern Europe

Scientists from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) have developed a highly oxygen-deficient perovskite for protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs), while the European Commission has approved its fourth Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI).

Chinese developer Eging PV Technology says it will build a 200 MW solar power station in southwestern Tajikistan. The nation will also construct its first production plant for solar equipment, with investment from South Korea’s Global Solar Wafer.

Nur Bukhara Solar PV LLC FE, a project company owned by Masdar, will deliver a 63 MW battery energy storage system alongside a 250 MW solar plant in south-central Uzbekistan.

Fairer curtailment, greater grid flexibility and better regulation were all on the industry wish list at Kongres PV. From cable pooling to direct lines, Poland hasn’t been afraid to innovate in its approach to renewables deployment – but there is plenty of room for improvement.

CEZ Group has developed a new solution for securing solar photovoltaics in areas of unstable subsoil from the central section of conveyor belts previously used in strip coal mines. Several pilots of the steel structure have already been deployed on a reclaimed area near the Bílina Mine in northern Czechia.

The Eurasian Development Bank has agreed to provide $210 million over 15 years for Bishkek Solar to build a 300 MW solar plant in Kyrgyzstan. National Electric Grid of Kyrgyzstan will purchase the electricity for a period of 25 years.

This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Oana Ijdelea, the founder and managing partner of Romanian law firm Ijdelea & Associates. She says there is no objective blockage impeding women from pursuing a career in the renewable sector. There is, however, a vicious circle where women may become reluctant to apply for a position where males appear to be more present, and on the other hand, the lack of female presence in such roles does not encourage other women to step in.

Slovakian scientists have developed a novel hydrophobic, antireflective coating for solar glass with a silica-titania thin film as the bottom layer and an inorganic-organic upper layer made of silica modified with triethoxy(octyl)silane. This new coating increases glass transmittance by 7% compared to uncoated glass.

The first day of the RE-Source Southeast Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, this week underscored European and regional interest in renewable-energy projects based on corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs). Negative or very low electricity prices in European electricity markets affect the appetite for such projects, but the solution for investors and policymakers is to approach the issue systematically.

Consortia featuring subsidiaries of Chinese solar module maker Longi and Chinese industrial conglomerate Shanghai Electric have withdrawn from a public procurement tender for a solar park in Romania. The European Commission opened two anti-subsidy investigations into their involvement, which have now been closed.