Europe’s big battery fleet to surge to 95 GW by 2050, says research firm
According to Aurora Energy Research, Europe is on track to install at least 95 GW of grid-scale battery energy storage systems by 2050, up from 5 GW of installed capacity today, and representing more than €70 billion ($76.9 billion) of investment.
Bosch to open heat pump factory in Poland
Bosch has announced plans to build its first heat pump factory in Dobromierz, Poland. The German heating manufacturer will invest €225 million ($247.3 million) in the new facility, which is expected to start operations in early 2026.
Novel technique to recover 100% of silver from CIGS solar cells
Swedish researchers have developed a method to recycle valuable metals from flexible thin film copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) solar cells under mild leaching conditions. They showed that 100% of silver and 85% of indium can be recovered after 24 hours of leaching at room temperature using two moles of nitric acid.
LevelTen’s European solar PPA index fell to €73.2/MWh in Q1
US energy consultancy LevelTen Energy said in a recent report on solar and wind power purchase agreements in Europe that the prices of wind and solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) in the European markets increased by 56% year-on-year to reach €88.88 ($97.40)/MWh in the first quarter of this year.
Brazil hits 20 GW of distributed solar capacity
Brazil’s distributed-generation solar capacity has hit 20.186 GW, with more than 10.204 GW of residential rooftop installations.
US government commits $250 million to domestic heat pump production
The US authorities will offer new funds under the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to build a clean energy economy, create new manufacturing jobs, and help families to save money on their energy bills.
Germany hits 70 GW milestone
Germany added 2.65 GW of new PV capacity in the first three months of this year. In March alone, the nation’s new PV additions hit 944 MW.
Das Solar claims record open-circuit voltage of 730 mV for n-type solar cell
Das Solar has achieved a world-record open-circuit voltage of 730 mV for an M10 n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell, with a power conversion efficiency of 26.24%, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Electrical Engineering.
Belgium’s Flanders region launches new call for solar rebates
The Flemish authorities have allocated a budget of €3 million ($3.3 million) for the first round of its solar rebate scheme. The call is open to homeowners, businesses, public organizations, and energy communities.
Croatia launches rebate program for solar, other renewables, batteries
The Croatian government has allocated €60 million ($65.6 million) in subsidies for businesses to install 80 MW of renewables and 20 MWh of batteries.
