New German government presents package of measures to support PV
The new package includes an increase in solar capacity, to be allocated through tenders, and the mandatory installation of PV systems in all commercial buildings.
Solar module tech from oldest PV system in Netherlands
A solar panel on display at a science museum in the Netherlands is one of 2,748 modules that were used for the country’s oldest PV system. The module has an efficiency of around 9% and a power output of 18W. It was manufactured by Germany-based AEG-Telefunken in 1982.
Spain’s first utility scale solar plant linked to storage goes online
The 40MW solar plant is linked to 3MW/9MWh of storage and is located in the department of Almaraz, in the southern region of Extremadura. It was built by Spanish energy giant Iberdrola.
Solar up in Belgium in 2021 but will have work to do as nuclear shutdown nears
Electric transmission company Elia Group noted a bigger slice of the generation mix occupied by nuclear last year, just hours after a London-based consultant said the nation was on track to switch off its reactors before 2026.
Residential building fully reliant on hydrogen for space heating, hot water
The campus of the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands is currently hosting a retrofitted existing building provided with heating by an H2 heating boiler in the attic. The boiler is linked to an underground hydrogen system.
Korea Zinc invests in gravity storage developer Energy Vault
Korea Zinc, non-ferrous metal smelting company, has agreed to invest $50 million in Energy Vault, a Switzerland-based gravity storage specialist, in order to use its tech to decarbonize its refining and smelting operations in Australia.
The Hydrogen Stream: Australia approves $150 million hydrogen promotion program, Mitsubishi developing ammonia combustion burner in Japan
In other news, Oil India is setting up a 100 kW green hydrogen production facility in Assam, while the German government is providing €60 million for a project aimed at preparing electrolyzer technologies for industrial production at gigawatt scale.
High-performance sodium and potassium ion batteries via new carbon electrode materials
Researchers in the UK have developed a novel controllable unidirectional ice-templating strategy to fabricate new carbon electrode materials which can boost the performances of sodium and potassium-ion batteries.
Vattenfall launches high-temperature heat pump solution to replace gas boilers
Developed in partnership with Dutch heating specialist Feenstra, the all-electric heat pump solution will initially be available in the Netherlands. The system’s buffer works as a heat battery that is used to provide heat to radiators and generate hot tap water.
New tech to reduce mechanical stress in floating PV arrays
French start-up HelioRec has developed a new floater that can contain water to add more weight and increase its stability on the water. According to its creators, the new product can be 3.5 times more stable than conventional blow-molded floaters.
