Japan

PV Expo and the wider Smart Energy Week wrapped up in Tokyo last week. It revealed ambitious plans for solar and energy storage installations in Japan, including creative approaches to dealing with a severe lack of space for new installations, which should bring plenty of opportunities for domestic and international players.

Mitsubishi Electric has developed an air-source heat pump that uses propane (R290) as the refrigerant. It can produce between 5 kW and 8.5 kW of heat and domestic hot water to a temperature of up to 75 C.

In its bid to develop fuel cells for aircraft with over 100 seats within 24 months, ZeroAvia has revealed record-breaking hydrogen fuel cell performance tests. Meanwhile, Universal Hydrogen and local partners are teaming up to build hydrogen infrastructures for aviation in Japan amid a push towards hydrogen infrastructure and mobility.

A flat year for solar installation numbers in Japan could be seen as positive in a nation switching to new PV business models, writes Izumi Kaizuka, director of research for Japanese solar consultancy RTS Corp.

Netze BW has increased the amount of hydrogen it is injecting into the regional grid of Oehringen, in the southwest of Germany, from 20% to 30%. pv magazine spoke with the project leader, Heike Grüner, about the next phases of the project.

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.

Honda has revealed that it is testing a pilot stationary fuel cell stationary power system in California.

Electriq and Zenith Energy Terminals are teaming up on hydrogen powder production in Amsterdam, while Universal Hydrogen has completed the world’s first passenger flight based on hydrogen fuel cell propulsion.

Tokyo Gas is planning what it claims will be the world’s largest airport PV facility at Narita International Airport. The plant will be used to supply the facility with electricity and heat.

Japan’s National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) says in a new report that snow has damaged 43 PV installations of different sizes over the past four years. It urges PV system owners to conduct regular site inspections, use surveillance cameras, and remove snow at early stages.