The Hydrogen Stream: Japan finances Australia’s plan to produce H2 from coal
A Japanese state innovation fund has agreed to finance a coal-to-hydrogen project in Australia, while Honda says it has taken another step toward the commercialization of zero-emission backup power generation.
The Hydrogen Stream: BMW unveils hydrogen car demonstration fleet
BMW has launched its iX5 Hydrogen vehicle pilot fleet, with plans to start production by the end of the decade. Everfuel and Hy24, meanwhile, have launched a joint venture to accelerate hydrogen development in Scandinavia.
Integration of EV charging stations and renewable energy resources
A new research paper proposes an optimal planning technique to identify the locations and sizes of electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations with controlled charging and hybrid wind and PV systems in a multi-microgrid.
PV could turn Europe into ‘solar-to-X economy’
New research from LUT University shows the central role of solar in Europe’s attempt to reach its 2050 zero-emissions target. It describes how photovoltaics will gradually become the characteristic element of the Old Continent’s emerging energy system by extending its use to the heat and mobility sectors.
Finnish mine to host 75 MW/530 MWh underground pumped hydro facility
Suomen Energiavarasto Oy has secured €26.3 million ($27.5 million) from the Finnish government to build an underground pumped hydro project at a former zinc and copper mine.
Denmark, Sweden, Finland could add 12.8 GW of solar by 2030
The Nordic region is set to become a European renewables powerhouse, according to Rystad Energy. It says Finland, Sweden and Denmark could collectively install up to 12.8 GW of new solar by 2030.
Wärtsilä releases 12.4 MW grid-balancing engine
Finland’s Wärtsilä has unveiled its next-generation grid balancing technology. It has an efficiency of 52.3% and can be used for baseload production. It connects to the grid in 30 seconds and operates on natural gas, biogas, or hydrogen blends.
Finland to extend net metering to all PV systems in 2023
At present, only a few distributors offer net-metering services in Finland, meaning that only a small share of PV systems are net-metered. In 2023, all PV systems will be offered net metering through the country’s new centralized information exchange system for the retail electricity market.
Sand-based system for seasonal storage comes online in Finland
The system will provide district heating to the city of Kankaanpää in western Finland. It has 100 kW of heating power and 8 MWh of energy capacity.
Storing solar power via borehole thermal energy storage
A Chinese-Finnish research group has proposed the use of seasonal, soil-based thermal energy storage in combination with photovoltaics in residential districts. They have found that the hybrid concept could cover up to 58% of total heating demand.
