Europe

An international research group has designed a new photovoltaic-thermal module configuration that uses zirconium oxide as a cooling agent. The system is reportedly more efficient than water-cooled counterparts in reducing its operating temperature.

Nexans has signed a contract to build a submarine transmission line as the first phase of the EuroAsia Interconnector, which will connect Greece, Israel, and Cyprus.

Researchers in Estonia applied for the first time the close-spaced sublimation (CSS) deposition technique to manufacture solar cells based on bismuth trisulfide (Sb2S3). The resulting devices showed limited power conversion efficiency so far, but the scientists claim the new process paves the way for the development of future earth-abundant inorganic PV materials.

Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE has achieved a world record efficiency for organic cells at the lab level. It now aims to bring the PV technology to market maturity.

Rystad Energy says that about €7 billion ($7.8 billion) of solar panels are now being stored in Europe, but European developers continued to buy solar modules from China throughout the first half of this year.

Serbia-based Storenergy has developed a thermal energy storage (TES) solution that uses recycled ceramics as the storage medium. It says its solid-state storage solution is designed to ensure long lifespans and low maintenance costs.

Tata Group says it will build a 40 GWh battery factory in the United Kingdom to produce batteries for Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and other electric-vehicle manufacturers in the Great Britain and Europe.

Researchers in Austria have analyzed the crack propensity of backsheets made of polypropylene (PP) and have concluded these may be potentially used in solar module manufacturing, unlike co-extruded polyamide backsheets, which caused many headaches to the PV industry in the past. Furthermore, PP backsheets are claimed to have lower stiffness and higher flexibility than their laminated counterparts.

Utilities increasingly recognize heat pumps as a critical technology for heat decarbonization. They are deploying multi-megawatt systems in different parts of Europe to simultaneously serve multiple users and offer new avenues for the decarbonization of buildings.

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank have agreed to collaborate with Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on hydrogen, while Masdar, Mitsubishi and Inpex have said that they will use green hydrogen to produce e-methane and polypropylene.