Sweden

Developed by a Chinese-Swedish research group, the device is an ultra-thin chip that could be integrated into electronics such as headphones, smartwatches and telephones. It combines a Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage System (MOST) with a micro-fabricated system that includes a thermoelectric generator (TEG) with a low-dimensional material-based microelectromechanical system (MEMS).

According to new research from Sweden, solar PV might be cost-competitive in powering electric cooling for an investment cost ranging from $165/kW to $480/kW in hot-climate countries such as Brazil, Spain, India and China, among others. The study focused on the cooling demand for the residential sector, where most of it is expected to originate.

Everfuel has signed a deal to build a hydrogen refueling station in Germany, while the European Hydrogen Backbone initiative has accelerated its own program to produce 20.6 million tons of renewable, low-carbon European hydrogen. Separately, the UK government published its hydrogen investor roadmap to 2030.

Ikea’s holding company, INGKA Holding, will invest €340 million ($371 million) to acquire nine PV systems from Enerparc. In the future, Ikea said it will work with Svea Solar to sell residential PV systems.

Sweden’s cumulative installed PV capacity hit 1.59 GW at the end of December.

Vattenfall, SSAB and LKAB have reached the halfway point in the construction of a rock cavern storage facility in a coastal city in northern Sweden. The 100-cubic-meter facility is being constructed 30 meters below ground and will begin storing green hydrogen next year.

Researchers in Sweden are currently testing three kinds of coatings — hydrophobic, superhydrophobic and slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces. The goal of the new technology is to halve ice adhesion compared to standard modular glass and ensure 96% light transmittance.

A Swedish research group has developed a device combining CIGS thin-film solar modules and an alkaline electrolyzer based on a trimetallic cathodic catalyst made of nickel, molybdenum, and vanadium (NiMoV) and an anode made of nickel oxide (NiO). The electrolyzer achieved an average solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency of 8.5% for stable operations during 100 hours.

Swedish researchers have developed a novel way to manufacture micro supercapacitors, also known as system-on-a-chip, so they are compatible with other components in system circuits and can be easily tailored for different uses.

New research from Sweden showed that financing conditions and the choice of location are crucial factors in reducing the levelized cost of energy for utility scale solar parks built without subsidies in the Scandinavian country. According to the researchers, the project with the lowest LCOE in Sweden, of €0.02737/kWh, is a plant with an expected lifetime of 45 years, a 2% annual degradation rate, capex of €703,758 per megawatt installed, a yearly fixed operations and maintenance cost of €11,277 per megawatt, and a nominal weighted average cost of capital per annum of 0.2%.