French asset manager Mirova invests €480 million in Austrian developer RP Global
The transaction, consisting of equity and convertible bonds, will cover Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Croatia. RP Global aims to commission 2.5 GWp of renewable power in the next five years.
FuturaSun’s project for TOPCon and xBC n-type modules passes Cinea’s selection for Innovation Fund
The project has thus reached the Grant Agreement Preparation stage. The next step will be the preparation and signing of the Grant Agreement with Cinea, the granting authority, to formalize the €21 million financing.
EDP tests a pilot project in Spain to automate the construction of PV plants
The Hyperflex mobile factory developed by Comau allows the automatic installation of solar trackers while automatically assembling the entire solar blade of up to 48 m2.
The Hydrogen Stream: US researchers explore trapped geologic hydrogen
US researchers have started studying hydrogen formation in the Midcontinent Rift in the United States, while Dutch scientists have discovered that hydrogen emissions from industrial complexes are higher than previously estimated.
Italy preps energy storage auctions
The appropriate minister has signed into law a decree which will allow electricity transmission system operator (TSO) Terna to stage procurement exercises, possibly as early as the first half of 2025.
Solbian, Sunspeker unveil customizable solar modules for vehicle-integrated photovoltaics
The two Italian companies said their new modules use a fully recyclable sticker that can help to improve aesthetics and turn the panels into advertising billboards. The panels use 24%-efficient interdigitated back-contact solar cells from Maxeon.
Solar cell based on ferroelectric 2D/3D/2D perovskite junction achieves 24% efficiency
The experimental device achieved an open-circuit voltage of 1.21 V, which is the highest value reported to date for highly efficient perovskite photovoltaics. The cell is based on a photo-ferroelectric 2D/3D/2D perovskite junction integrating a 2D ferroelectric perovskite single crystals in the perovskite bulk.
Italy’s regional governments approve 5.1 GW of utility-scale PV projects in January-September period
Italy’s regional governments approved 5.1 GW of solar in the first nine months of this year, with Sicily leading by approving around one-third of the total new capacity.
Rotating, vertical floating PV system for offshore applications
An international group of scientists has designed a patented mooring tech and a vertical PV system that reportedly allows the bifacial solar panels to align with the prevailing wind direction to shed wind loads. Depending on a project’s latitude, the system can deliver different power yield.
Flexible perovskite solar cell based on polycarbonate substrates achieves 13.0% efficiency
An international research group demonstrated the first perovskite solar cells on polycarbonate substrates, suitable for flexible PV applications. Using an industrially compatible fabrication method, the group produced devices with 13.0% power conversion efficiency, 87% of which was maintained after 1000 bending cycles at a radius of 20 mm.
