Western Europe

K2, a mounting system supplier, showcased a range of new solutions at Intersolar Europe, including a new mounting structure for green rooftops. It allows for portrait and landscape module elevation at 10 degrees and 15 degrees, with maximum module sizes of 2,400 mm x 1,350 mm.

Alight says it has obtained a 12-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for a 64 MW solar plant in Sweden. It says it will turn to non-recourse project financing, despite the conventional practice of financing PPA-backed solar assets with equity in the country.

Cambridge scientists have designed a new reactor that is able to convert CO2, water, and plastics into syngas. The system utilizes a photoelectrochemical device powered by an encapsulated triple cation perovskite-based photocathode and an alloy anode.

The German police arrested a Chinese citizen at Munich Airport last week, prior to the start of the Intersolar Europe trade fair. Investigators are targeting the detained individual for allegedly evading anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duties imposed on PV products in the European Union prior to September 2018, a lawyer told pv magazine.

Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE have developed an optimized heat pump propane refrigeration circuit for single-family homes.

Scientists in Norway used various imaging and characterization techniques to analyze the cells and other components of silicon PV modules that had been installed in the field for more than 10 years. The group’s aim was to isolate the role of moisture in various mechanisms that cause performance loss over time, and to understand how these mechanisms progress over long-term installation in real outdoor conditions.

Greece’s energy regulator has announced three separate auctions for standalone energy storage systems connected to electricity transmission networks. The application process for the first auction, which involves 400 MW of energy storage, will be open until July 10.

Chris Sparkes, lead technician at UK solar installer Solar Fast tells pv magazine simply throwing money at the PV industry will not suffice.

Asier Ukar, the director of PI Berlin Spain, discusses the importance of addressing the risks associated with tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) tech early on, even though it outperforms (passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) when considering standard and tangible indicators.

The European Commission has agreed to ramp up hydrogen sector investments in Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, while Norsk Hydro has successfully produced the world’s first batch of recycled aluminum with hydrogen-fueled production methods.