Western Europe

Onerous permits, a deficit of skilled workers, unclear information and expensive retrofitting costs are some of the difficulties that heritage-listed homeowners and building owners in the United Kingdom face when transitioning toward low-carbon heating and energy efficiency technologies, according to a recent government report.

Smart Railway Technology’s new PV2Rail inverters are designed to feed directly into 16.7 Hertz (Hz) railway power grids.

Northvolt is set to secure €902 million ($986 million) of state aid to build a battery gigafactory in northern Germany, while France has been allocated €2.9 billion to ramp up production of batteries, solar panels, wind turbines and heat pumps, according to a European Commission announcement.

Elcogen and Convion have revealed test results for their new solid oxide electrolyzer, with an electrical efficiency above 85%. It could potentially facilitate the production of 39 kWh of electrical energy per kilogram of green hydrogen.

Italian module manufacturer FuturaSun has big expansion plans in China, with the first phase of a 15 GW silicon cell fab due online in Huai’an in the first quarter of 2024, in addition to 1 GW of module production in Taizhou. Erik Eikelboom, technical adviser to FuturaSun, offers a closer look at the project.

New research has shown that solar parks can play a positive role in promoting bird diversity in the agricultural landscape of Central Europe. The scientists said solar farms offer food availability and nesting sites.

The Italy-based solar module manufacturer said it is progressing with its previously announced transition from module manufacturer to a vertically integrated manufacturer with 12 GW of cell capacity. It also said the project to build a module factory in Italy is going through a “complicated process.”

A Dutch team in a 4×4 electric Skoda journeyed across Africa powering part of the expedition with the solar panels they brought with them.

German developer BEC-Energie Consult has developed a mounting system that uses less material than conventional systems. It claims the new tech can reach 1.45 MW of output per hectare. It can also be used for ground-level agrivoltaic systems.

1Komma5°, a Hamburg-based startup, is set to roll out its products and software portfolio across the Netherlands.