United Kingdom

Certification scheme MCS records another record-breaking year for heat pump installations in the United Kingdom, as well as the highest number of certified contractors on record. MCS Head of Scheme Alex Hughes discusses solar, storage and heat pump trends with pv magazine.

Arriba Technologies, a UK heating and cooling specialist, has developed a solar-integrated heating and cooling unit with a DC electrical system, all in a single package. It is installed at a 750 kW plant at Cambridge’s Rosie Hospital and won the Lighthouse Heat Pump Award at the European Heat Pump Association’s heat pump forum in September.

Octopus tariff will see customers donate fixed sum to fuel poverty charities for every kilowatt-hour of electricity exported to the grid. The utility is also offering free solar and battery installations for eligible customers receiving Warm Home Discount support.

United Kingdom-based 3ti Energy Hubs has launched a portable electric vehicle charging station for 12 cars that it delivers to commercial and industrial sites where demand exceeds supply.

Cleantech specialist Ameresco is installing a 6,500 sqm array of ultra-thin solar panels on the London Stadium. Once complete, the installation will generate 0.85 million kWh of electricity per year – enough to power all of the stadium’s sporting and music events.

Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners announces two long-term agreements covering 100% of solar power generation at Cleve Hill Solar Park. British supermarket retailer Tesco has signed a 15-year agreement covering 65% of generation and Shell will manage remaining capacity under 10-year route-to-market deal.

Israel-based inverter maker SolarEdge has unveiled its new TerraMax Inverter, which boasts 99% efficiency and enables 200% DC oversizing. It features an integrated night-time PID rectifier and is paired with the company’s H1300 Power Optimizers.

The UK government has unveiled a cap-and-floor scheme to kick start investment in long-duration energy storage. The first round of applications is scheduled for 2025.

Futraheat has developed a 300 kW/1.5 MW heat pump that can reportedly deliver steam up to 130 C and reach a coefficient of performance of 6.2. The first prototype was deployed at a brewery in Sussex.

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.