TOPCon solar panel prices falling in Germany amid industry struggles
Martin Schachinger, the founder of pvXchange.com, reports that tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar module prices in Germany have fallen by an average of €0.010 ($0.0109)/W this month. Demand remains especially weak in the residential sector, while complex authorization processes are also challenging the commercial and industrial (C&I) and ground-mounted segments.
BASF receives funding for world’s largest industrial heat pump
The German government has awarded a €310 million ($336 million) funding package to chemical manufacturer BASF for the construction of an industrial heat pump with a capacity of up to 500,000 metric tons of steam per year. It will use waste heat from steam crackers for CO2-free stream production.
Sungrow plans listing on Frankfurt Stock Exchange
Sungrow says it is planning a listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange to support its inverter and energy storage manufacturing operations beyond China.
Germany adds 960 MW of solar in September
Germany installed 960 MW of solar in September, bringing its cumulative PV capacity to more than 94.52 GW.
Germany wraps up ‘innovative’ tender with average price of €0.0709/kWh
Germany has concluded a new renewables tender, securing 583 MW of capacity at an average price of €0.0709 ($0.0771)/kWh.
Research on agrivoltaics in Germany demonstrates strong synergies
Recent research conducted by Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE on agrivoltaics show that not only did the crops grown under the PV panels benefit from the partial shading, but also that the PV system produced more electricity than previously assumed thanks to the cooling provided by the plants underneath.
The Hydrogen Stream: Innio starts hydrogen-fueled CHP plant in Austria
Innio Group has started operating a combined heat and power (CHP) plant for heating purposes in Austria, while PureWave Hydrogen has told pv magazine that it is exploring geological hydrogen in Kansas using proprietary software and an AI system.
The Hydrogen Stream: Harvard researchers say H2 costs underestimated
Harvard University researchers say hydrogen costs are underestimated due to unaccounted storage and distribution variability across sectors, while Kore Infrastructure has told pv magazine that it aims to reach a levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) of between $1/kg and $2/kg.
The Hydrogen Stream: Infinity sends fuel cell to NASA for lunar testing
Infinity says it has delivered a fuel cell prototype to NASA for ground testing, aimed at demonstrating a regenerative energy storage system for potential lunar applications.
Photovoltaics, control strategies have little impact on optimal heat pump size in retrofit buildings
New research from Germany shows that the optimal size of residential heat pumps in retrofit buildings can be achieved without factoring in their potential connection to a PV system and related control strategies. An optimal sizing strategy, by contrast, should not neglect electricity price assumptions.
