Western Europe

Australian independent power producer ReNu Energy has signed a deal with the developers of a proposed 3.5 GW solar-plus-storage facility in Indonesia to explore the potential large-scale production of green hydrogen for supply into Southeast Asia and beyond.

German researchers have created an algorithm to predict and identify string yield losses or underperforming strings without additional weather data. It could be used to inspect modules, strings, arrays, inverters, and transformers.

A team of scientists from the University of Cambridge have developed lightweight floating photocatalyst devices that produce green hydrogen and syngas. The leaf-like photoelectrochemical devices show potential for scalability.

KU Leuven researchers have developed rooftop panels that capture both solar power and water from the air. Like traditional PV modules, hydrogen panels are also connected, but via gas tubes instead of electric cables. The researchers are now preparing to bring the tech to the mass market via a spinoff company.

Researchers led by Germany’s TÜV Rheinland have created a database of technical risks and mitigation measures for PV installations. Their broad overview of quantification methods has shown that further standardization is required.

Australian green hydrogen developer Fortescue Future Industries and Italian gas and electricity giant Enel are set to partner on making green hydrogen cost-competitive with fossil fuel alternatives this decade.

French renewables developer Neoen has credited the Victorian Big Battery with almost tripling its storage revenues in the first nine months of 2022. To September, the company’s revenues totalled $547 million (USD 347.4 million), with growth in solar and wind revenues paling beside the massive surge from battery storage.

Bolt-in electric vehicle kits in Australia have just got a leg up, with Melbourne startup Jaunt Motors joining forces with UK company Zero EV to operate a new, larger scale business to have production facilities and operations across Australia, the UK and, “very soon,” the US.

Qingdao University researchers have synthesised high-performance titanium dioxide-based anode materials with excellent cycling stability, while German scientists have used operando techniques to observe how solvated sodium ions embed themselves in electrodes.

The University of Technology Sydney’s (UTS) Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF), in collaboration with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Climate Science Centre, has published the findings of its national “Climate Skills Survey” of financial professionals.