Western Europe

The UK government has published its plan to support solar deployment to 2030 and beyond. Policies include updating the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, a safety review of plug-in solar for balconies and rooftops, consulting on car park solar, and engaging with industry on skills and training.

Analyst Thema Consulting Group has calculated the impact of rapid expansion of battery storage systems in Germany and found they will help stabilize solar prices by reducing the number of negatively-priced-electricity hours – but will cannibalize their own revenue in doing so.

Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) has commissioned Europe’s largest vanadium redox flow battery, a 2 MW/20 MWh pilot facility in Germany.

Germany recorded 141 hours of negative day-ahead electricity prices in June, just below the record set in May, bringing the first-half total close to the full-year figure for 2023.

Researchers in France have investigated how photovoltaic power generation can be combined with the growth of hyperaccumulating plants in disused, contaminated brownfield land and have found this combination could help increase the profitability of the so-called agromining – a plant-based approach to cleaning up contaminated environments.

10 kWh sodium-metal-chloride batteries will be build at new site in Lancaster, England. Start-up LiNa is targeting markets with harsh climates during initial rollout and intends to produce 100 kWh systems following 10 kWh trial projects.

Researchers have simulated 160 cases of PV rooftop installation in southern and northern Italy. Among changing parameters were size and type of the panels, as well as their roof cover rate. The considered albedos were 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%, representing different types of roof materials.

The standard is intended to regulate basic safety requirements and testing. However, an international standard is currently being developed that reaches partially contradictory results. The German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies, however, is taking a relaxed view of this.

Gore Street Capital’s Japanese fund buys its first battery energy storage system (BESS) project, while Ireland’s GridBeyond begins energy trading in Japan with front-of-the-meter asset.

French energy cooperative Solarcoop has launched a solar router that redirects surplus photovoltaic power from self-consumption systems to electric water heaters or other resistive loads, and can also control additional devices such as heat pumps.