Baywa re sets up unit to manufacture mounting systems
The new Novotegra GmbH unit will bundle all activities related to the group’s PV mounting structure business.
Green hydrogen production via 20 MW electrolyzer at Italian oil refinery
A refinery of Italian oil product provider Saras will host a large scale electrolyzer that will produce hydrogen to be used as a raw material in the refinery itself. The green energy production will be set up by Italian energy company Enel.
UK makes Europe’s latest battery gigafab announcement
Coventry City Council, in the English West Midlands, wants to attract a £2 billion gigafab and is already in talks with nearby motor manufacturers, and with global battery suppliers, according to regional politician Andy Street.
Quantum dot solar cells and the search for stability
In various forms, quantum dot technology has attracted plenty of attention among PV researchers recently. And as efficiencies have crept past the 15% mark, the community is beginning to look at other factors limiting the viability of quantum dot solar cells in a commercial setting. Scientists in Germany examined the degradation mechanisms affecting different quantum dot materials; and suggest a standardization of stability testing to enable comparability of results.
A2A buys 173 MW of grid-parity solar in Italy
The Italian energy provider agreed to buy 17 unsubsidized solar plants from U.K.-based Octopus Renewables for €205 million.
Belgium’s Flanders region unveils compensation scheme for PV systems affected by smart meter disruption
The draft regulation has now been sent to the country’s Council of State for review. If approved, the new rules will grant prosumers the right to ask to postpone the installation of a smart meter until 2025. Furthermore, the Flemish government said it will also compensate PV system owners with a sum that should ensure a reasonable investment return of 5%.
Austria allocates 332 MW of PV under 2020 rebate scheme
The Austrian government had devoted €50 million to the scheme for last year. These funds will enable the deployment of 15,957 PV systems.
Italy set to host a battery gigafactory
Italian start-up Italvolt wants to build a €4 billion EV battery manufacturing facility in Italy. The site for the project is currently being identified, and the factory’s initial capacity should reach 45 GWh.
Spain installed 3.2 GW of solar last year
According to Spain’s renewable energy association, APPA Renovables, of the solar capacity deployed last year, 623 MW was for distributed generation PV and 2,633 MW came from utility scale solar plants.
Spectral-splitting filters for more efficient photovoltaic-thermal panels
A British-Chinese research group has created a new framework to assess the performance and efficiency limits of photovoltaic-thermal solar panels. They say that the improvement of spectral-splitting (SS) filters in the devices will be the key to their future commercial success.
