Belgium

A group of researchers from Belgium performed a complementarity analysis for offshore wind power combined with floating photovoltaics. The team found that complementarity is strong on weekly and monthly timescales, and that it can increase under certain climate change scenarios. Assuming a full permanent transmission loading capability, the researchers calculated that a 3 GW floating solar plant added to the existing wind power in the Belgian North Sea would increase the renewable electricity yield by 47% while occupying only a limited surface area.

An international research group has analyzed a vertical bifacial agrivoltaics system in a drought-stricken part of Chile. They say that the solar array can improve water efficiency for crop irrigation, while the vertical system configuration optimizes PV power generation throughout the day, minimizing curtailment.

Mexican researchers have revealed test results for offshore wind-based hydrogen production, while Turkey has started negotiating hydrogen facility partnerships with the United Arab Emirates.

New research from Belgium shows agrivoltaic facilities with trackers perform significantly better than projects with fixed structures. The scientists found projects with tracking achieved an LCOE of €0.077 ($0.082)/kWh, while facilities with fixed structures were found to have an LCOE of €0.10/kWh.

The SeaVolt consortium says it will launch an offshore floating PV demonstrator off the Belgian port of Ostend. The main companies – Tractebel, DEME, Equans and Jan De Nul – say the anchored floating array will collect data for at least a year to scale up the tech.

Enfoil is developing a CIGS thin film custom manufacturing business, targeting building-integrated PV applications, such as powering sensors or track & trace sub-systems in trucks. The company is a spinoff of Hasselt University and imec, the Belgian research institute.

The researchers of the Belgian research institute used a dual-layer treatment for the perovskite absorber, which they said improved the cell efficiency and stability. The device achieved an open-circuit voltage of 1.17 V, short-circuit density of 24.5 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 84.6%.

Japanese scientists have developed an organic-inorganic halide perovskite compound for the chemical storage of ammonia (NH3), while Bosch is preparing to exhibit new products in the hydrogen value chain.

Dutch utility Eneco has announced plans to build a 50 MW/200 MWh battery energy storage installation in Wallonia, Belgium, using Tesla Megapacks. The battery plant will offer four hours of storage.

Scientists in Belgium are exploring the potential of recycled silicon in solar modules at the end of their life cycle for reuse in low-cost, higher-energy-density storage technologies. They claim EV batteries using this silicon may allow faster recharging and travel longer distances on a single charge.