Western Europe

TÜV Süd has discovered that 8% of the rooftops it examined in Germany last year are not suitable for PV deployment.

Scientists in Italy have investigated the performance of drones and a human-crewed airplanes for carrying out aerial infrared thermography inspections on PV power plants. According to their findings, airplanes may be more cost-effective.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) says in a new report that only 7% of planned renewable-based hydrogen capacity is expected to go online by 2030. The report notes the need for consistent policies to support demand and prevent stranded assets.

Researchers at the Jülich Research Center in Germany have used novel photoluminescence measurements to analyze the recombination of charge carriers in perovskite solar cells. They have found that the loss of charge carriers in perovskite devices works differently from other types of PV cells.

In November 2022, Germany’s Energie Baden Württemberg and steelmaker Salzgitter Group signed one of Europe’s first power purchase agreements (PPAs) for hydrogen production. More have followed and with the European Union introducing rules to govern green hydrogen, an industry is planning for its future.

Vegetek has developed a “biosolar” roof solution for new and existing buildings. It combines the benefits of greenery and solar panels.

Researchers in Sweden sought to raise the efficiency of ground source heat pumps by combining their operation with that of PVT systems and free cooling. Through a series of simulations, they found that this integrated solution may reduce borehole length and land area requirements.

Austrian PV Technology Platform Vice Chair Hubert Fechner tells pv magazine that he is confident that more than 2 GW of solar capacity was installed in Austria last year – and the figure could be as high as 2.5 GW.

Dracula Technologies has developed a new indoor technology for its organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. It designed the tech to replace traditional batteries in connected devices.

FlyingBasket has developed a drone that can carry up to 100 kg of payload over distances of 2.5 km, and up to 5 kg across 25 km.