United Kingdom

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, working with Cambridge University, programmed a ‘supercomputer’ to narrow down a list of almost 10,000 materials with the potential to be used in dye-sensitized solar cells to just five that fit their parameters for high performance, low cost and low environmental impact.

The virtual facility is monitoring approximately 1 GW of combined wind, solar, storage and flexible gas engines in the U.K. and its capacity may double in the summer. The energy managed by the plant is being sold on the British energy market.

Two sites with capacities of 34.7 MW and 25.7 MW will supply unsubsidized power to Warrington Borough Council. The smaller project will provide the local authority’s energy needs and reduce its electricity bill while the larger one will sell renewable energy on the open market, further bolstering council income.

A bevy of lenders from Australia, Germany and the Netherlands have provided up to £272 million for 17 solar and onshore wind projects that benefit from the U.K.’s expired incentives program.

With its investment, the energy company has broadened its portfolio of ways to help customers save on energy bills. There are multiple energy companies pursuing similar goals at the moment as distributed generation and storage solutions require utilities to find new business models; not the least to avoid grid expansion costs.

The Energy Storage Europe conference is nearing and pv magazine is featuring the top ten developments in the field as our Energy Storage Highlights, selected by an independent jury of experts. Having kicked off with a hydrogen fuel cell based approach to self-sufficient living in Switzerland, and DNV GL’s bid to map the vast battery storage landscape, we continue with a small island’s approach to grid stability.

U.K. developer Lightsource BP – in which oil and gas giant BP has a significant minority stake – and its Singapore fund partner EverSource Capital are reportedly ready to take up all the $100 million slice of Ayana Renewable Power which is being put up for sale.

Scientists at the U.K.’s University of Manchester have developed a flag which can harvest solar and wind energy while hoisted. The banner, say the researchers, can generate up to 4 mW of energy, and could be used to power remote sensors or small electronic devices.

The CommUNITY project is being realized outside the U.K. regulatory framework, which does not permit power trading between electricity customers.

NESF and Zestec have joined forces for the development of a commercial portfolio in the U.K. NESF provides the capital, which will be refinanced through the proprietary PPA model by Zestec.