Europe

While few can doubt the emission-reduction might of solar; forced- and child labor in clean power supply chains is becoming a hot issue, which is why the EU is mulling a ban on goods proven to have traces of such labor practices. Diana Zadorozhna, a partner at renewables consultancy Everoze, looks at what companies can do to prepare for forced-labor legislation.

Viessmann’s new sub-distribution system links various components and connects them to the power grid. Its Wallbox has a charging capacity of 11 kW (three-phase) and is equipped with a 7.5-meter “Type 2” charging cable.

The French authorities selected 16 projects (58 MW) in the third round of rooftop PV tenders, at an average final price of €104 ($114.30)/MWh, up 15% from the September 2022 tender. The authorities selected seven ground-mounted projects, or 115 MW of capacity, at an average price of €82.2/MWh, up 20% from the last tender.

The Viperlab project is a European initiative that brings together organizations that are working on perovskite solar. pv magazine speaks with Eva Unger, Viperlab’s scientific coordinator, about the infrastructure needed to facilitate the transfer of information and technology to the industry, as well as the huge database that needs to be created to serve this purpose.

A team of US researchers engineered a double-membrane system to minimize chloride oxidizing the anode. Meanwhile, the Spanish government supports Destinus to develop its hydrogen-powered supersonic plane and test it in 2024.

Japan’s Toshiba has shared the results of a “future-proof” housing project in the United Kingdom. It combined two 11 kW air-source heat pumps in a five-bedroom house in Chester, England, with a 16 kW PV system and an 11 kW battery. The property is reportedly energy neutral in the summer months.

The French government has announced the launch of a tender for 1.5 GW of ground-mounted PV and another tender for 800 MW of rooftop capacity, in order to compensate for the high failure rate of the third round of tenders for large-scale PV plants.

Surface limitations facing the expansion of photovoltaics in Germany have led to a bold vision: installing PV arrays along motorways and creating a vast DC smart grid in the process. The plan could even be implemented across Europe.

H2FLY has wrapped up initial filling tests with the liquid hydrogen tank for its HY4 aircraft, while Wingcopter has announced the development of a hydrogen-fed delivery drone.

Spanish energy giant Iberdrola has revealed plans to open a second solar module factory in Spain, following its first announcement in February. The initiative will require European funding to ensure its competitiveness.