Energy

German power utility EnBW says its new pumped hydro storage project will require an investment of €280 million ($304.9 million). It is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027.

In the second week of May, the solar photovoltaic energy production registered a record maximum hourly value in Portugal, adding to the streak of records for this technology in Europe during 2023. In the electricity markets, the prices remained stable with an upward trend, except in the MIBEL and the Nordic markets where the prices decreased. Zero price hours were registered at the weekend in the MIBEL market and negative ones in the Netherlands. Gas futures registered the lowest price since July 2021.

Australian gravity storage startup Green Gravity has revealed that it will build a new R&D facility in the Australian state of New South Wales.

UK-based Ideal Heating has developed an air-source heat pump for the UK residential market. It is available in two versions with a heating output of 8.2 kW or 10.3 kW and uses R32 as the refrigerant. It says the heat pump can be paired with rooftop solar to maximize self-consumption.

Spanish researchers have studied the potential of rooftop PV in microbreweries and have found that solar could cut the cost of heating and refrigeration by nearly 30%. They say that coupling PV with small breweries could result in payback times ranging from 4.3 to 6.6 years.

A Chinese research group has combined compressed CO2 with combined heating and power (CHP) units for renewable energy storage. The system has achieved a total energy efficiency of 35.96% and an energy storage density of 1.54 kWh/m3.

Sales of gas and oil heating systems are also increasing, however, as the current figures from the Federation of German Heating Industry show. Overall, the market grew by 38% to 306,500 new heaters sold. However, the German Renewable Energy Federation warns against postponing the country’s Building Energy Act requirements to 2027.

Construction has been completed on what is now the largest battery system in the Australian state of New South Wales. The 150 MW/300 MWh Riverina and Darlington Point energy storage systems are made up of three co-located units, owned by Federation Asset Management and Edify Energy.

Hyme Energy has awarded Semco Maritime an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for services for the 1.6 MWh Molten Salts Storage (MOSS) Project in Esbjerg, Denmark. The long-duration energy storage plant will charge from the grid and be used to demonstrate and test the molten hydroxide storage technology in a practical setting.

A recent industry survey led by SolarReviews and the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) shows that two-thirds of all solar installers expect high electricity prices to drive demand.