Eastern Europe

Aurora Energy Research says regulatory shifts in Czechia are creating strong short-term revenue prospects for utility-scale battery storage, with a two-hour system commissioned next year projected to earn an internal rate of return above 15%.

Poland’s lower house of parliament, the Sejm, has passed amendments to the Building Law to remove the requirement for building permits to construct energy storage facilities with capacities of up to 30 kWh.

Tests conducted by a research team in outdoor environments in Spain and Poland have demonstrated a strong correlation between perovskite solar cell degradation and the combined effects of climatic and operating conditions. The scientists found that open-circuit operation accelerates degradation, whereas operation at the maximum power point and under short-circuit conditions has a lower impact.

The EU Innovation Fund has awarded €2.9 billion ($3.4 billion) to 61 projects, including eight advancing hydrogen technologies across aviation, shipping, and heavy transport.

Ukraine is changing its state support mechanism for households installing hybrid renewable energy systems to a one-time, 30% reimbursement of the principal debt. The Ministry of Energy says the change will help increase access to hybrid power supply systems.

More than 35,000 households in Uzbekistan received state subsidies for exporting surplus electricity from rooftop solar systems between January and September, says the State Tax Committee, as participation in the Solar Home program accelerates nationwide.

A four-year analysis conducted at a testing field in eastern Poland has shown that crystalline solar panels offer a stronger performance than thin-film panels at high latitudes. The tests revealed pronounced seasonal variability across all technologies, with thin-film modules showing markedly lower capacity factors than crystalline silicon, particularly in winter.

Germany’s Federal Court of Audit (Bundesrechnungshof) says the nation’s hydrogen strategy is falling short despite heavy subsidies, while Pulsenics and Endua have launched the first commercial AI-based monitoring system to improve electrolyzer performance under fluctuating renewable power conditions.

Armenia’s installed solar capacity has reached 1 GW, and the government is likely to replace its subsidy program for standalone solar projects with one focused on hybrid and storage systems, according to the nation’s infrastructure ministry.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing $142 million in financing to two ACWA Power-led solar-plus-storage projects in central Uzbekistan.