Floating PV deployed at quarry in France
Sorégies has built a 2.7 MW floating PV array at a quarry in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
Checkerboard solar cell design for improved light diffraction
A U.K.-Portuguese research group is proposing a new solar cell design based on diffraction gratings – optical components that split and diffract light into several beams. They claim this could lead to a 125% improvement in light trapping.
CIGS cells could hit efficiencies of 33%, say Germany scientists
Researchers have gradually improved the efficiency of CIGS thin-film tech in recent years. But scientists in Germany say the 23% rate achieved thus far is not the end of the story.
Solar-wind-storage EV fast charging for German highway
Fastned and Tesla have opened what they claim is the largest fast-charging park in Germany. Electric vehicles will be charged with green electricity – some of it from on-site solar and wind generation and the project includes 2 MWh of battery storage.
Schneider Electric launches off-grid-capable solar charge controller
The power electronics company is offering a product which can work on and off the grid and enables the charging of dead batteries using a rooftop solar array.
Agrivoltaic project with vertically mounted bifacial panels goes online in Germany
German developer Next2Sun has completed a 4.1 MW solar plant built with roughly 11,000 bifacial panels provided by Chinese manufacturer Jolywood.
Austrian agrivoltaic project includes sheep farming
Maxsolar is building a ground-mounted, 11.5 MW solar plant near Wien where 150 Jura will graze.
New Siemens units lay marks in hydrogen generation, mobility and energy-as-a-service
With a flurry of recent announcements, the newly-launched power division of the electronics giant plans to drive hydrogen mobility in Germany and enter the commercial and industrial power market in the US.
EBRD provides €75m for 204 MW of solar near Greek coal plants
The development lender will supply three-quarters of the funds as Hellenic Petroleum aims to raise €100 million for a reported 18 solar sites in the nation’s coal heartland.
France’s ‘virtual power line’ takes shape
Nidec has deployed a 12 MW/24MWh storage system for French grid operator RTE. The battery – part of a 72 MWh project to prevent grid congestion in peak demand periods – is in an area with abundant renewables, including wind.
