Wacker signs polysilicon supply deal with Jinko
The German company will sell 70,000 tons of its product to the module maker over the course of a five-year contract.
PV covered 10% of EU electricity demand in June and July
According to UK-based consultant Ember, eight EU countries achieved record solar power production during June and July. Germany and the Netherlands were able to cover around 17% of their electricity demand with PV over the period.
Austria allocates additional €20 million for rooftop PV projects
The Austrian authorities will use €20 million to provide more support for the country’s rebate scheme for residential PV projects up to 50 kW in size.
New PV facade design in Sweden
Soltech Energy has installed a 60 kW solar facade on the wall of a garage in Sweden that hosts 300 EV-charging posts. It features a steel structure to facilitate the flow of air.
Spain announces 3.3 GW renewables auction
The auction will be officially launched on Tuesday and will also include a quota for small scale projects.
PV-powered geothermal heat pump system for greenhouses
The PV-powered geothermal heat pump system was tested for a year, with measurements taken by Researchers at the University of Nottingham. The UK group showed it was able to maintain an indoor temperature over 16 Celsius degrees in all seasons, except for winter.
Lithium-metal battery with capacity retention of 88% over 1,000 cycles
German scientists have applied a new combination of cathodes and electrolytes to improve the stability of lithium-metal batteries. They fabricated a device with an energy density of 560 watt-hours per kilogram and a Coulombic efficiency of 99.94%.
Plug-and-play solar module from the Netherlands
Supersola has developed a 315 W, half-cut monocrystalline PV module. It costs €699 and can be coupled with other two panels to form a 1 kW residential PV system.
SMA warns of electronic component shortage
In the first half of the year, the German PV inverter maker recorded high demand for its inverters and storage solutions from the residential solar segment. The effects of the corona pandemic, however, have had an impact on the commercial segment and, although a recovery in demand is expected in the second half of the year, SMA said it is currently dealing with delivery issues.
Germany needs 446 GW of PV for 100% renewables scenario
According to a new study by the Fraunhofer ISE, there is more than enough space for this huge growth in installed solar PV capacity. Indeed, if all available areas were used for PV – including opencast mines, facades, roads, and agricultural land used in combination with solar power generation – over 3,000 GW could be deployed.
