Western Europe

The joint-feasibility study into green hydrogen production and trade between Australia and Germany has officially begun, work on what the German Federal Minister of Research has dubbed the “Wasserstoffbrücke,” or “hydrogen bridge”.

The £12.7 million project will explore how to transport pure and blended hydrogen for use in heating and industrial purposes. Construction will start next year.

Scientists in the Netherlands are planning to build intelligent PV devices for energy and information applications. Their intention is to make this approach a new field of PV research, whose ultimate goal is enabling solar cells to communicate with each other and with other devices, ensuring that all the generated energy ends up exactly where it’s needed, especially in the urban environment.

The Australian arm of South Korean solar technology giant Hanwha Q-Cells has applauded the decision by the Chinese Patent Office to uphold the validity of the company’s intellectual property rights on key technology.

Spanish energy storage company E22 has set to work on its first project in Australia, a 5MW/7.5 MW Li-ion battery in Longwarry, VIC that is set to provide AusNet with much needed network services during the heights of summer congestion.

A group of German scientists has analyzed the possible trajectory of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in photovoltaic research and industry and has suggested a roadmap to bring this technology closer to mass production. Despite a large number of challenges, the academics predicted a brilliant future for CNTs in PV applications, explaining that the barriers to their adoption are constantly being reduced.

Neoen announced last month that it had completed the financing of its 460 MW Western Downs Green Power Hub, but today it has been revealed that said green finance came about through a wide reaching international effort, including seven global banks, a salutary sign that green finance is accelerating as fossil fuel divestment continues.

Belgian start-up Sunslice has developed small, portable, high-performance solar panels that can be applied to backpacks and be used as rechargers for smartphones and watches.

The University of New South Wales will lead a consortium of Australian and German researchers and industrial partners in a feasibility study to tease out and provide solutions for the obstacles for the trade of green hydrogen from Australia to Germany.

Few doubt that aluminium frames will be a part of the solar module for some time to come. And with PV manufacturing continuing to scale, the carbon footprint of this versatile metal may prove a sustainability challenge.