Sweden

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%.

1Komma5° has acquired a majority stake in Swedish solar installation provider Cellsolar AB. This is the sixth acquisition of the recently founded Cleantech startup which wants to open the installation sector for the capital market in order to allow rapid growth.

Swedish scientists developed a three-step method that integrates techniques used for the automatic extraction of buildings along with their underlying roof faces, as well as the identification of utilizable rooftop areas for solar arrays. The novel methodology is claimed to avoid overestimating actual potential of buildings for PV deployment.

The latest numbers released by EU data body Eurostat indicate renewables, including hydropower, contributed 37% of Europe’s gross electricity consumption in 2020, up from 34% a year earlier.

A worsening price shock, felt to different degrees across Europe, has now seen renewable power purchase agreement tariffs climb for three consecutive quarters. Despite that, however, developers and energy buyers are still signing contracts, with non-standard agreements on the rise, according to renewable transaction infrastructure provider LevelTen Energy.

Figures released by Eurostat this week indicated the monumental task facing the renewables industry as Europe attempts to replace a power source which generated a quarter of the bloc’s electricity in 2020.

In what has been described as a European first, Northvolt announces that the first lithium-ion battery has rolled off the production line at its Swedish manufacturing facility in Skellefteå.

The Chinese PV inverter maker has said that all its products are tested and certified in compliance with EU regulations by global leading testing and certification companies. As for the 8000TL3-S inverter series, which has now been banned from the Swedish market, the company said the device has not been in production since 2020.