Europe

Novel research from Germany and the USA has analyzed the impact of heat pump (HP) integration on the ability of day-ahead load forecasting in energy communities. Using different models, the scientists have also investigated whether HP loads should be forecasted separately from the rest of the household or both together.

Gamesa Electric has released a white paper on losses due to harmonics in PV plants, including an independent study that compares the performance of ultra-low total harmonic distortion inverters.

The subsidiary of Chinese-Canadian solar manufacturer Canadian Solar says the financing will go towards developing and constructing solar and battery energy storage projects across Spain, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, France and Germany.

Danish citizens will once again be able to apply for heat pump subsidies from May 27. A DKK 17,000 ($2,469) grant will be available for air-to-water pumps and DKK 27,000 for liquid-to-water heat pumps.

Christian Victor, an X (formerly Twitter) user, has published a new map showing land consumption in Germany. It reveals that open-cast mines occupy more square meters than ground-mounted solar arrays and wind farms combined.

The French research institute presented in a scientific paper the technical details of its recyclable heterojunction module with a power output of 566 W and a carbon footprint of just 313 kgCO2eq/kW.

A research group in Spain has demonstrated the technical feasibility of using repaired solar modules with satisfying results. It also warned, however, that there is an urgent need to define a protocol for evaluating the features of a “viable” repaired panel.

Researchers at the University of Bologna carried out crash simulations to qualify a novel solar powered 350 kg passenger vehicle for the next edition of the 3,000 km Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC) across the Australian continent.

Spanish consultancy AleaSoft Energy Forecasting registered a decrease in weekly electricity markets in all major European markets, bar the British and Italian markets, in the third week of May. The German market, meanwhile, broke its record for PV production on May 14, recording 404 GWh.

The tandem solar cell is based on a perovskite top cell treated with an additive known as 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzylphosphonic acid (pFBPA), which reportedly improves its power conversion efficiency and fill factor. The tandem device also integrates a bottom heterojunction silicon cell made with a 190-μm-thick, 2 Ω.cm, n-type, float-zone, shiny-etched monocrystalline wafer.