Netherlands

TU Delft researchers have proposed a new approach for solar cell manufacturing that implies gauging wafer thickness depending on the regions where the cells and modules will be deployed. They also suggested to adopt test conditions that are representative of the outdoor working condition of solar cells in an alternative to standard testing conditions.

Engie has told pv magazine that the developers of the H2Sines.Rdam installation have decided to terminate the project to produce hydrogen in Portugal and send it to the Netherlands, while Fortescue said it has opened an electrolyzer production facility in Australia.

MAN Truck & Bus says it will deliver 200 hydrogen vehicles to customers in Europe and some non-European countries by as early as 2025, while Provaris has revealed plans to develop a gaseous hydrogen import facility in Rotterdam.

Autarco has developed a three-phase hybrid inverter line, featuring 8 kW, 9.6 kW, 12.8 kW, and 16 kW versions and up to four independent maximum power point (MPP) trackers, along with a European efficiency rating of 97.5%.

A new report from the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS) looks at success factors required to take vehicle integrated photovoltaics (VIPV) from niche to mainstream based on a survey of 110 experts in the topic of transport and PV.

PV Evolution Labs (PVEL), Extel Energy, and PI Berlin have unified under the Kiwa brand. Dutch company Kiwa, which has acquired the three PV testing laboratories over the past three years, says it aims to more effectively present its range of services for the solar industry.

The Dutch government, through a new open-access PV database, has discovered that approximately 50% of all rooftops in the Netherlands could potentially host PV systems. However, only 8% of them could immediately accommodate solar arrays without the need for obstacle removal.

Certification specialist Bureau Veritas has awarded what is says is the world’s first prototype certification for a floating offshore solar solution. It will now be deployed in the North Sea, off the coast of The Hague.

The Dutch authorities have approved “capacity limitation” contracts, allowing owners of PV and wind power assets to inject less electricity into the grid during peak times for “reasonable” remuneration, but standard contracts will be crucial for wider adoption.

The Netherlands deployed 4.82 GW of new solar capacity in 2023. The country’s cumulative installed PV capacity hit 24.4 GW at the end of December.