Germany

For those who combine solar, batteries, and electric vehicles (EVs) at home, driving on sunshine is a realistic goal. However, there are many factors to consider when analyzing the economic payoffs, as well as the technical possibilities and limitations of such systems.

1Komma5° says it plans to start production at a new TOPCon solar module factory in Germany from next year. The Hamburg-based startup aims to achieve an annual production capacity of 1 GW, with further expansion targets set to reach 5 GW by the year 2030.

The Luxembourg Ministry of Energy has allocated 52.7 MW in an agrivoltaics tender. While the final prices from the procurement exercise have not been disclosed, the ministry said it considered ecological and agricultural factors.

Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) is investigating the impact of floating PV systems on oxygen levels and water temperature. The study is focused on determining whether floating PV systems, deployed by Erdgas Südwest in southern Germany, have altered the lake’s thermal stratification and oxygen content.

The new optimization method is intended at designing smaller and cheaper heat pumps. Its creators said the new approach also enables higher Opex savings and an improved coefficient of performance.

BayWa re says it needs to find a buyer for its PV distribution unit, Solar Trade, by the end of this year.

Aleo Solar has introduced 400 W in-roof PV modules, which can also function as solar tiles. The German manufacturer offers this new product in four power classes, ranging from 385 W to 400 W.

US-based Maxar Technologies used satellite imagery imagery with resolution of 31 cm to 15.5 cm to identify rooftop PV systems in southern Germany. The company claims its new approach was able to identify 97.8% of the solar arrays with high confidence.

Mattiq says it is evaluating “millions of combinations” of different alternatives to iridium for PEM electrolysis, while Hystar, Air Liquide, and Trillium Energy Solutions have revealed plans for the North American hydrogen market.

With utility scale solar installations accelerating, Philip Wolfe, founder of PV data consultancy Wiki-Solar, drills into the data to highlight some interesting variations in relative progress around the world.