Agrivoltaics for fir trees
German researchers are studying using an overhead solar PV system, designed to be removable and reusable, as a sunshade for young fir trees. The pilot, located at a quartz sand excavation site, will be monitored to compare growth and water consumption with an adjacent unshaded tree plot.
Attica-Crete leg of Mediterranean super grid due mid 2025
Greece has grand plans for an interconnector network that runs from the Middle East through to the heart of Europe. pv magazine examines the latest developments on the road to a Mediterranean super grid and what it might mean for the regions involved.
The Hydrogen Stream: Linde plans 5 MW electrolyzer in Brazil
Linde says its White Martins unit will build a second electrolyzer to produce green hydrogen in Brazil, while Sunfire has launched a front-end engineering and design study (FEED) for a new 500 MW hydrogen project.
Europe’s renewable PPA prices fell 5% in Q1
Energy consultancy LevelTen says that solar power purchase agreement (PPA) prices fell 5.9% in the first quarter of 2024, with decreases recorded in all analyzed countries except for Romania. It attributes the decline to lower wholesale electricity prices and a fall in solar module prices.
Europe’s largest battery storage project secures approval
Netherlands-based developer Giga Storage has obtained the irrevocable permit for the construction of a 600 MW/2,400 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Belgium.
German startup offers modular PV system for parking lots
UV Energy has developed a PV system that can be used in parking lots and on other surfaces. It claims that the arrays can be deployed within time frames of three to six weeks.
ZSW, First Solar partner to collaborate on thin-film PV
Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and First Solar have agreed to work together to develop thin-film PV technologies on a gigawatt scale.
‘Paternity leave policies are strongly correlated with the female share of board seats’
In another article of a series on gender equality, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice Mariyana Yaneva, Vice Chair at the Association for production, storage and trading with electricity (APSTE). She explains that policies allowing childcare needs to be met but not placing the burden of care explicitly on women, increase the chances that women can build the business acumen and professional contacts necessary to qualify for a corporate board.
Soltec launches dual-row, single-axis tracker
Spain’s Soltec has developed a new dual-row, single-axis tracker with a tracking range of up to 60 degrees, offering compatibility with 60-cell, 72-cell and 78-cell modules.
New model to optimize PV module encapsulation
An Austrian team develped a model to optimize lamination parameters and to flag critical, insufficiently crosslinked and inconsistent encapsulant laminations. It could be particularly suitable for the production of double-glass solar panels.
