European Consortium seeks to streamline agrivoltaics design
A European consortium including Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE is researching suitable crop and PV system combinations, conducting tests under Nordic conditions, and developing software to expedite adoption.
Low platinum fuel cells for hydrogen vehicles
New research from Sweden suggests that low platinum fuel cells for hydrogen vehicles, when scaled up for the same number of cells, may achieve similar or higher efficiencies compared to commercial fuel cells. Their modeling is expected to act as a bridge between material science research and vehicle implementation.
The Hydrogen Stream: EU hydrogen tender ends with bids below €0.50/kg
The European Commission has selected the winners of European Hydrogen Bank’s first auction, with bids coming in below €0.50 ($0.54)/kg, while Chile and Namibia have revealed new hydrogen plans.
Italy’s EU-made PV incentives raise specter of Chinese opposition
A World Trade Organization (WTO) official and several Italian lawyers recently spoke with pv magazine Italy about the timing of a potential Chinese legal challenge against Italy’s new solar measures, which exclusively provide incentives for high-performance PV modules produced in the European Union.
Belgian grid operator releases tool to help residential PV system owners detect inverter failures
The so-called “network checker” will allow residential PV customers in Belgium to check if there have been any inverter failures in their local area. It comes after Belgian grid operator Fluvius launched a compensation scheme for those who are not reconnected within 30 working days of a curtailment.
New tech to demetallize, recrystallize solar cells from end-of-life PV modules
An international team of researchers has proposed a series of processes to recover silicon and other metals from recycled solar cells. Their goal is to reuse the recovered silicon in the PV supply chain.
‘Parity in leadership roles remains an ongoing challenge’
In another article of a series, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Angelika Möbius, the founder of the startup Solar AI Twin. She says addressing the gender gap in the solar industry is a complex task that requires a deep understanding of the unique challenges women face. Key barriers include a lack of mentorship opportunities and the absence of professional networks.
Germany records 50 hours of negative electricity prices for April
Average retail prices fell to €6.24 ($6.70)/MWh on the German electricity spot market in April, largely due to renewables covering about 70% of the network load.
Online tool shows CO2 savings for UK homeowners with heat pumps
British Gas has developed the Carbon Cruncher tool for the UK market. It contextualizes emissions by comparing them to other emitters.
Midsummer, Kaisheng partner on thin-film solar production
China’s Kaisheng New Energy Technology has agreed to produce a new line of thin-film solar panels for rooftops under an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement with Sweden’s Midsummer. The modules will be exclusive to the European rooftop market through Midsummer.
