Finland

Finnish startup Polar Night Energy has commissioned the world’s largest sand battery in Pornainen, southern Finland. The industrial-scale system delivers 1 MW of thermal power with 100 MWh storage capacity, covering up to a month’s summer heat demand and nearly a week’s winter demand for the local district heating network.

An international research team has developed an index-based remote sensing method to see trends in the global development of water-based PV. It has found that China currently accounts for 80% of the global total deployed capacity.

ZeroAvia says it will build a hydrogen-electric powertrain factory in Scotland to produce high-temperature proton exchange membrane (HTPEM) fuel cell systems, while Thyssenkrupp Nucera and Fraunhofer IKTS have opened the first solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) pilot plant in Germany to scale green hydrogen stack production.

The European Commission has selected projects for €992 million ($1.1 billion) of EU public funding, while the Japanese government has agreed to provide $4.80 in subsidies for hydrogen fuel cell trucks.

The European Commission has offered €52.4 million ($59.4 million) in funding for seven solar projects in Finland, as part of a broader renewable energy package that also includes two wind projects in Estonia.

Polar Night Energy will build a second pilot plant in southern Finland to test its power-to-heat-to-power sand battery technology. The project aims to demonstrate the system’s ability to reconvert stored heat into electricity.

OMV says it has successfully started its 10 MW green hydrogen plant at the Schwechat refinery near Vienna, while Austrian university TU Graz says it has inaugurated a hydrogen electrolysis test center at its Inffeldgasse Campus to develop and test hydrogen technologies.

Aurora Energy Research says the global electrolyzer pipeline now totals around 1.3 TW, with 114 GW in development and 32% expected online by the end of 2026. The firm cites stronger EU policy support and growing momentum in hybrid power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Researchers from Aalto University in Finland demonstrated a proof-of-concept of laser-processed glass to be used as a type of solar concentrator for building integrated PV (BIPV) applications. The treated glass enabled a 55-fold increase in photocurrent generation compared to unprocessed glass, with an estimated optical efficiency of 0.66 %. Additionally, a fluoropolymer coating was applied to create a self-cleaning surface.

Swedish solar developer Alight has signed a 100 MW power purchase agreement (PPA) with Autoliv for Finland’s largest PPA to date. The solar park, set for construction in Eurajoki, will be operational by 2026.