Solar PV

Researchers in Germany have proposed to use a machine learning technique known as reinforcement learning to optimize heat pump performance and reduce electricity consumption in apartment complexes. Their simulation showed that significant savings can be achieved without compromising comfort levels.

A call for the EU’s second cross-border renewables tender has gone out and will remain open until March 4, 2025. Luxembourg is providing €52.4 million ($56.7 million), while Finland and Estonia have committed to installing solar and onshore wind on their territories.

Libra Energy has unveiled its first major Australian renewables project, announcing plans to build an 850 MW / 3,400 MWh battery energy storage system in southeast Queensland to help soak up excess solar energy and stabilise the grid supply and demand during peak hours.

The Philippines’ Department of Energy (DOE) has said that energy storage and maximizing the country’s existing renewable energy infrastructure will be a major theme for its next green energy auction. GEA-4 will take place in the final quarter of 2024.

The auction concluded with an average price of €0.056 ($0.065)/kWh for the PV technology.

The Chinese cell maker said its unit Zhejiang Akcome Photovoltaic Technology has received the green light for restructuring. However, if the reorganization is unsuccessful, the company will proceed to bankruptcy liquidation.

Scientists in Finland have built a perovskite solar cell with a bio-inspired coating that reportedly improves light transmittance while providing self-cleaning properties. The film was able to improve the device efficiency by up to 6%.

Nigeria’s Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology has said the country is committed to replicating similar solar module assembling plants across all its geopolitical zones.

In Germany – but not only there – there is a heated debate about the pros and cons of a capacity market. The German Renewable Energy Association is against it, and recently the German New Energy Industry Association, the DIHK and the EEX energy exchange have also taken a clear stance: Germany does not need a “power plant subsidy program.” In this article, four experts explain why battery storage can also play an important role in a capacity market and make recommendations on how the design of the market can help avoid mismanagement, wrong incentives and unnecessary costs.

The grid needs to modernize to meet a booming demand for electricity, which is only predicted to grow even further in coming years. IEC Standards are key to help with the transition.