Western Europe

Researchers in Italy have analyzed the techno-economic viability of enhancing three pumped hydro plants in Italy with floating PV on the lower basin. They say that, with their wide results, consequences could be extrapolated to similar regions.

An international team researching wide bandgap perovskite films announced an effective technique to control the crystal orientation without compromising charge transport. The new approach was demonstrated in an all-perovskite tandem solar cell with an open-circuit voltage of 2.21 V and certified power conversion efficiency of 29.1%,

A total of 43 projects were selected from 79 applications in Portugal’s 2025 energy storage procurement. This included six projects from Spain’s Iberdrola, which secured nearly €20 million ($20.6 million) in public funding.

With the first auctions for procuring new storage capacity in Italy expected in the second quarter of 2025, Aurora Energy Research has analyzed the internal rate of return for projects supported by the Energy Storage Capacity Procurement Mechanism (MACSE) and found that in certain cases expected returns exceed 9%, providing a high level of revenue security.

France deployed 4.6 GW of solar in 2024, bringing its total PV capacity to 22.12 GW. Grid operator Enedis says that self-consumption accounted for 35% of new installations.

The Italian manufacturer said its new Large Evo PL heat pump can achieve a seasonal coefficient of performance of up to 4.17. The system can also reportedly deliver water temperature of up to 60 C and, when stacked in series, reach a maximum system capacity of 1,660 kW.

Algeria, Austria, Germany, Italy, and Tunisia have agreed to develop the Southern Hydrogen Corridor linking North Africa and Europe, while Sungrow Hydrogen has signed a deal to supply electrolysis gear for ACME’s 320 MW green ammonia project in Oman.

In a new monthly column for pv magazine, the LUT University describes how carbon dioxide removal may support reaching climate targets from a portfolio perspective.

A research team in Germany has proposed to use direct wire bonding to reduce silver consumption in heterojunction solar cells. The scientists used low-cost copper wires as electrodes with conductive paste applied in discrete pads to replace the traditional metallization and interconnection process.

A consortium is installing an experimental linear solar park in shade house configuration in Vaucluse, southern France, using high-voltage direct current architecture to reduce electricity losses.