Norway

Norwegian scientists have tested a new floating PV system concept at a water reservoir in Sri Lanka. The system is made of composite beams to support the solar panels and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes to provide buoyancy.

Over Easy Solar AS has developed a rooftop PV system with two generation peaks – one in the morning at 11 am, and one in the evening at 7 pm. It has been deployed on a school building.

Scientists in Norway have managed to run a micro gas turbine plant on pure hydrogen. They claim their experiment paves the way for the use of existing infrastructure to generate heat and power with the green fuel.

While many solar manufacturers are as yet undecided about which PV cell technology they will choose for their next high efficiency expansions, for Singapore-based REC, the future is HJT. pv magazine spoke to Cemil Seber, the managing director at REC Solar EMEA GmbH at the Intersolar Europe 2022 trade show, to dig deeper into these manufacturing plans.

Polysilicon manufacturer Wacker has launched a feasibility study for its expansion plans in Norway. It said its production capacity in the village of Holla could increase by 50% by 2025.

Startup Morrow Batteries has raised €100 million ($105.9 million) in a funding round led by Siemens and ABB. It will use the money to build its first battery cell factory in Norway, its home market.

DNV is spearheading two joint industry projects that aim to develop reference standards for the design, development, and operation of floating PV systems. Such standards are still largely lacking, potentially leading to delays and obstacles in permitting and authorization.

REC’s new heterojunction solar panel series features efficiencies of up to 22.3% and an operating temperature coefficient of -0.26% per degree Celsius.

Norwegian startup Over Easy Solar AS is launching a vertical PV system for rooftop applications at this year’s Smarter E in Munich, Germany.

In other news, Hydrofuel Canada developed hollow hybrid plasmonic nanocages to create an electrocatalyst for ammonia synthesis from nitrogen (N2) and water (H2O) and said green hydrogen could be separated from this ammonia and sold at about $1.50 per kilogram. Furthermore, Norway’s Aker Horizons and Statkraft are exploring green hydrogen and ammonia production opportunities in India and Brazil, targeting local steel and fertilizer industries.