Poland pilots solar arrays near major highway
Poland has installed solar arrays along the S5 expressway as part of a project to cut infrastructure operating costs. Surplus electricity will feed the grid or supply electric vehicle charging stations.
Romania extends investment in solar for public institutions
Romania’s Ministry of Energy is backing 47 solar projects to produce electricity for self-consumption in schools, hospitals, city halls and other public institutions. It has now supported more than 1,000 such contracts, together reaching a combined capacity of 390 MW.
Spanish researchers claim nest boxes in PV plants often misused for greenwashing
Researchers in Spain have warned that nest-box installations at PV plants are often poorly planned or used for greenwashing, with boxes placed in unsuitable locations, installed incorrectly, or lacking post-installation monitoring.
New accelerated aging test for perovskite solar cells
To assess ion migration-induced degradation modes via accelerated ageing of perovskite solar cells, an international research team investiagted using electric forward bias and dark storage approach.
Pocket-sized tool to identify composition of solar panel polymer backsheets, encapsulants
German researchers developed a novel pocket-sized instrument to rapidly identify the composition of solar panel polymer backsheets and encapsulants in the field. The hardware is near-infrared absorption spectroscopy (NIRA) sensor-based.
Solar-aviary projects come online in France
French renewables producer Unite has completed two solar-aviary projects selected by France’s Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) in recent tenders for innovative PV solutions.
Comparing thermal runaway behavior of sodium-ion, lithium-ion batteries
Scientists in Germany have analyzed the thermal runaway behavior of sodium-ion batteries and lithium-ion batteries inside a 10-L reaction vessel. They have thermally abused 30 samples, each under a different state of charge level, and have found that both types suffered from runaway when the charge is at least 50%.
Daikin launches new single-zone heat pumps for residential use
The new Oterra 115V heat pumps use difluoromethane (R32) as the refrigerant and have a heating capacity of 9,000 BTU/h to 12,000 BTU/h.
Hungary’s largest battery storage facility comes online
MET Group has switched on Hungary’s largest battery, a 40 MW/80 MWh system, at the site of a power station near Budapest.
Iberdrola’s 500 MW Núñez de Balboa PV plant reportedly caused Spain blackout
Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE) says a PV project in Badajoz was responsible for Spain’s massive power outage on April 28. Media reports have now revealed that the solar plant is the 500 MW Núñez de Balboa photovoltaic facility, which is owned by Iberdrola.
