World

Spanish energy company Iberdrola and American power generation products producer Cummins have signed an agreement to promote a green hydrogen value chain in Spain by 2023. Denmark-based green hydrogen infrastructure company Everfuel has launched its H2 station roll-out plan for Denmark, targeting up to 19 fueling sites by the end of 2023. South Korean automotive manufacturer Hyundai Motor has said it would begin production of the world’s first mass-produced, heavy-duty truck powered by hydrogen, in August this year.

The sheer volume of new power lines which will be required to accommodate the rising tide of solar installations ensures copper has been included by the International Energy Agency on its list of minerals which must keep flowing if the energy transition is to stay on course. And it’s not production that’s the potential bottleneck.

AGN has commenced blending renewable hydrogen into part of its natural gas distribution network in Adelaide and Snam tested a 30% hydrogen/natural gas blend in the forging processes used in industrial steelmaking. Furthermore, Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and other potential Brazilian partners participated in an evaluation mission to develop the hydrogen-focused technical cooperation project H2 Brazil with German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

According to a new study from the LUT University, hybrid wind-solar plants offer the ideal profile to reduce the costs of green ammonia. Although natural gas will be able to provide lower prices over this and the next decade, beyond 2040 ammonia generated by wind and solar may reach a price of between €300 and €330 per ton.

According to the International Energy Agency, most of the global reductions in CO2 emissions between now and 2030 would come from technologies available today. In a recent report, the agency sets what it described as a “cost-effective and economically productive” pathway resulting in an energy economy “dominated by renewables like solar and wind.”

A Greek consortium is also planning to invest €8 billion in the domestic production of hydrogen and the French city of Dijon is launching a €100 million euro green hydrogen project to reduce the CO2 emissions of the territory’s public transport starting in 2023.

In an interview with pv magazine, Indra Overland, the head of the Center for Energy Research at the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs, explains how long-distance electricity and hydrogen transport differs from that of fossil fuels. He says strong Europe-North Africa connections could prove the viability of cables to connect continents, and notes that integration between countries and regions will increase.

Recent financial statements from the big module manufacturers indicate that higher prices for polysilicon and PV glass since the third quarter of 2020 have dealt a severe blow to profits in the module business. Module manufacturers have gradually scaled down capacity utilization since the Lunar New Year, as demand has been weaker than expected, given the absence of China’s usual June 30 installation rush, as in past years. In April, Tier-1 module makers further cut utilization rates to 55-70%. PV InfoLink’s Corrine Lin examines the price trends that are developing in 2021.

Large-format PV modules are a key development in solar technology and advocates say their emergence has the potential to be one of the most significant innovations the industry has ever seen. But many people remain unconvinced that bigger is actually better.