Solar Power

Australia has the sun, the wind and the space to become one of the world’s green hydrogen export superpowers in coming decades. However, the Sunburnt Country does have a dearth of one ingredient in the green hydrogen equation – freshwater. Thankfully, researchers from Monash University and a group of national water utilities are joining forces to find a way to use wastewater for the process of electrolysis.

The survey of 1,500 homeowners shed light on the home solar energy experience and motivating factors behind solar purchases.

Spanish energy giant Iberdrola will lead a consortium that plans to convert the Apennine railway axis in central Italy to green hydrogen. Ukrainian energy company NJSC Naftogaz has said it wants to produce green hydrogen with a German partner, and the Port of Tallinn, in Estonia, wants to become a hydrogen hub.

The 1 GW Horizeo project includes a solar plant, battery storage, a green hydrogen production unit, a data center, and an agrivoltaic facility. It is being planned near Saucats, a municipality in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.

TÜV Rheinland has verified the performance of the Soltec Diffuse Booster algorithm, which uses both sensors and weather forecasts to drive its solar trackers. According to the manufacturer, it can increase the annual revenue of a 100 MW PV plant in Spain by €1.8 million.

A German research team has developed a photovoltaic-electrochemical device for alkaline water electrolysis that can be linked to battery storage. The proposed system configuration can not only smoothen out the PV power fluctuations and facilitate power coupling, but also improve solar to hydrogen efficiency.

The efficiency of the module was certified by the U.S.’ National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It was built with perovskite solar cells with a stabilized efficiency of 23.6%, an open-circuit voltage of 1.17 V, a short-circuit current density of 24.1 mA per cm−2, and a fill factor of 0.842.

Acme Solar said the facility would use 3 GWp of solar and 0.5 GWp of wind energy to produce 2,400 tons of green ammonia daily and approximately 900,000 tons annually. Construction is planned in phases with an investment of $3.5 billion over the next three years.

The two companies have signed on to purchase shares of the energy generated by Lightsource bp’s upcoming 345 MW Ventress Solar project.

The comparison of two solar cladded roofs in Sydney, Australia, one bare beneath its panels and the other adorned with native grasses and plants, has found the panels on the green roof were, on average, 3.63% more efficient, producing an average daily output 13% greater than the conventional roof. The improvements are believed to stem from the lower temperatures on the green roof, thanks to its plants – which also provided a plethora of additional benefits.