Spain to hold 3.3 GW renewables auction in November
The Spanish authorities have announced plans to allocate 1.8 GW of PV and 1.5 GW of wind power through a new procurement exercise in the fall.
France publishes new FITs for PV systems up to 500 kW
France’s new tariffs range from €0.1951 ($0.1984)/kWh for installations below 3 kW in size to €0.1068/kWh for arrays ranging in capacity from 100 kW to 500 kW.
Meyer Burger expects higher prices, lower solar module output
Swiss panel manufacturer Meyer Burger wanted to increase the annual capacity of its production lines this year, but the ramp-up has been delayed due to ongoing bottlenecks in global supply chains.
The Hydrogen Stream: Fuel cells for backup power
The PEM fuel cell test in New York demonstrated the viability of this technology at 3 MW, the first time at the scale of a backup generator at a data center. Meanwhile, a Spanish-Indian venture will develop up to 300 MW of installed green hydrogen production capacity in the Iberian Peninsula, and a Norwegian-German partnership aims to have a demo track powered by a fuel cell system on the road in mid-2023.
KKR acquires 83.44% stake in Albioma
The transaction is part of KKR’s expansion strategy in the renewable energy sector.
Aleo Solar unveils 345 W rooftop photovoltaic module
The new panel from the German manufacturer may also be used as a solar tile and is claimed to be particularly suitable for historical buildings and aesthetically demanding new construction and renovation projects.
Photovoltaic micro-inverter based on gallium nitride transistors
Scientists from France’s CEA-Ines developed a 400 W micro-inverter with a power density of 1.1 kW/L and an efficiency of 97%. The device utilizes GaN 600V diodes and power transistors developed by CEA’s electronic branch CEA-Leti.
Storing renewables in soil mounds via water balloons
Scientists in Denmark have developed a storage technology that utilizes large underground water balloons and the pressure of the soil to activate a turbine to generate power. They are currently building a first 10 m x 10 m demonstrator to select critical technologies related to the membrane and to the construction of the “movable hill” that will form the terrain part of the battery.
Germany deployed 3.8 GW of PV in first half of 2022
In June alone, new PV systems totaling 612 MW were connected to the German grid. The country’s cumulative operational PV capacity reached 59.9 GW at the end of June.
Photovoltaic thermal panel with overall efficiency of 83% via MXenes nanofluid
UK researchers have demonstrated a photovoltaic thermal panel that utilizes an MXene/water nanofluid for heat transfer. They said the nanofluid is not only able to improve the thermal and electrical performance of the panel, but also to reduce its size by 14.5%.
