Germany

Non-synchronous renewable energy affects grid stability but storage-as-transmission (SAT) assets offer grid companies a trump card. Whether it’s “virtual transmission” in Australia, Germany’s “Grid Booster” program, or the giga-scale pipeline of projects emerging in the United Kingdom, energy storage is finding a way.

Salzgitter Flachstahl says it will produce hydrogen with green electricity from a wind power plant under construction by Iberdrola in the Baltic Sea. German Minister of Economics Robert Habeck, meanwhile, has announced funding for the Salzgitter Low CO2 Steelmaking transformation program.

The German solar manufacturer has transitioned all its production lines away from PERC modules in order to begin offering n-type modules to its partners.

Germany added 2.65 GW of new PV capacity in the first three months of this year. In March alone, the nation’s new PV additions hit 944 MW.

Sinn Power is offering new tiltable solar panels for vertical PV systems in nature reserves and water-protection areas. They are not anchored to the ground and use a pendulum weight to return to their proper positions when hit by strong winds.

SMA says its total inverter capacity will double to 40 GW once its new factory is fully operational in Niestetal, Germany.

An international research group has made translucent perovskite solar cells to maintain decent levels of average visible transmittance (AVT) while offering higher efficiency. They tested different module and cell configurations and produced a two-terminal, perovskite-perovskite tandem device with an efficiency of 17.7% at 12% AVT.

German PV product supplier Green Akku says that its new PV system can be vertically attached to fences. It reportedly generates more solar power, even in winter.

CNPC and Sinopec are working on transporting hydrogen via pipelines, while Matrix Renewables has expanded its green hydrogen partnership with Rolwind Renovables.

Fraunhofer ISE has developed solar thermal facade panels that function as heat pump sources in buildings. The solution is made of ultra-high-performance concrete for aesthetic architectural facades.