Belgium

IGI Poseidon has partnered with Corinth Pipeworks to test carbon-steel pipes for hydrogen transport under high pressure, while Axpo has begun building a green hydrogen plant in Switzerland to fuel vessels and other applications from 2026.

Discussions at the Sustainable Solar Europe event, held yesterday in Brussels, reveal that clearly recorded and available information is the key to ensuring sustainable and ethical practices all along the solar supply chain. And clear standards for the accuracy and relevance of this information are needed to ensure that all are moving toward the same target. The day also saw the launch of such a standard in the Solar Stewardship Initiative’s Supply Chain Traceability Standard.

Powernaut’s software balances local generation from decentralized devices such as solar panels, batteries, and heat pumps with the needs of the power grid.

Similar to last year, battery energy storage systems (BESS) made up almost all new-build capacity selected in recent Capacity Remuneration Mechanism (CRM) auctions in Belgium. Simon De Clercq, senior research associate at Aurora Energy Research, tells ESS News that there is even more room for BESS players to participate in the procurement exercises.

The European Commission, Austria, Lithuania, and Spain have announced new financial support measures for renewable hydrogen development as the European Union prepares for the second European Hydrogen Bank auction.

A fire broke out at Brussels’ first net-zero energy structure, the Treurenberg building, in late October. The blaze, likely caused by building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels on the facade, led to an evacuation, with no injuries reported.

The UK electricity regulator has approved five new undersea energy links to connect the United Kingdom with the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and between Northern Ireland and Scotland by 2032. Three will serve as traditional interconnectors, while two will also transmit power from offshore wind farms.

A research group has proposed a novel method to control ramp rates in power networks. Its control optimization is based on weather, load and production forecast data. The scientists simulated the operation of the proposed technique and reached a ramp rate reduction of up to 76.2%.

A Belgian-Dutch research team has defined new design guidelines for photovoltaics integrated in buildings or infrastructures. The proposed approach, which was validated through two demonstators, supports the manufacturing of semi-fabricates for integrated photovoltaics applications by enabling effective communication between project developers and module producers.

Belgian grid operator Fluvius plans to install around 403,000 smart meters in solar-powered homes by 2025, when their use becomes mandatory. So far, the company has installed 553,500 smart meters in Flemish homes with PV systems.