Leasing vs. buying a heat pump: Survey shows homeowners may prefer leasing
Swiss researchers conducted a survey among 1,582 single-family house owners located in Switzerland, Germany, and France to know more about their preference for leasing or buying a heat pump. They found that lease payments and lease contracts are crucial factors in decision-making, and that homeowners tend to prefer all-inclusive leasing products with lower monthly payments.
New model to assess effects of shading on crops in agrivoltaic projects
New research shows the importance of calculating the effects of shading created by PV panels on the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) at the ground level, which is crucial to assessing crop yield in agrivoltaic projects. The proposed modeling considers different agrivoltaic project typologies across several sites in Europe.
Challenges of integrating heat pumps into existing multifamily houses
New research from Germany shows that most of the heat pumps deployed in existing multifamily buildings may have to operate close to their water temperature operating limit (WTOL), thus being unable to provide elevated temperatures above 60 C. The researchers warned, however, that proper installation proceedings and new types of heat pumps may help solve this issue.
France adds 1.37 GW of new solar in H1
France reached 18 GW of cumulative installed PV capacity at the end of June, with the Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and Grand Est regions accounting for 67% of all new capacity additions in the first half of this year.
Scientists analyze seasonal performance of rooftop, vertical PV in the Arctic
New research from Finland shows that the best season for rooftop PV generation in the Arctic is spring, and that the best tilt angle for rooftop systems is 28 degrees. It also showed that vertical PV installations perform better in winter.
The Hydrogen Stream: Hydrogen buses less efficient than battery models
Italian researchers have compared the performance of hydrogen and electric buses in northern Italy, while DNV has released its guidelines to validate claims related to low-carbon renewable hydrogen and ammonia attributes.
New control technique for microgrid-connected PV systems
An international research group has applied for the first time integral backstepping control (IBC) as a control strategy for PV systems connected to microgrids. Through a series of simulations, the scientists found the new approach can provide better results than classic backstepping control (BC) and other techniques.
Lochinvar unveils heat pump to supply hot water at up to 70 C
Lochinvar has developed a heat pump with a hot water supply of up to 70 C, with a coefficient of performance (COP) of 5.5. The system is entirely cascadable, offering outputs ranging from 88 kW to 880 kW. It also includes 455 liters of hot water storage capacity and uses propane (R290) as a refrigerant.
Jaguar building large-scale storage system with second-life EV batteries
Jaguar Land Rover and Wykes Engineering are building a 2.5 MWh storage system with electric-vehicle batteries taken from Jaguar I-PACE cars. The large-scale system will store wind and solar at an undisclosed location in the United Kingdom.
Engie acquires Broad Reach Power
Engie has acquired 350 MW of operating storage assets and 880 MW of assets under construction from US battery specialist Broad Reach Power, with commissioning of the latter assets expected by the end of 2024.
