Aurora Energy Research says it has recorded a sharp increase in green hydrogen projects, with 90% of them in early phases of development, while E.ON says that Germany’s hydrogen ramp-up is stuck due to an investment backlog. Aurora Energy Research said in its “Q2 2024 European Hydrogen Market Report” (HyMaR) that the global pipeline for hydrogen electrolyzer projects surged by 55.2 GW in six months, reaching approximately 1.2 TW. The report noted a 4% increase in the last six months, demanding 5.5 PWh of electricity. Europe leads project development, with 32% of the capacity share, followed by ..read more

DNV forecasts that solar energy in China will account for 38% of the country's electricity production by 2050, compared to 5% at present, with more than one-third of solar capacity to be combined with storage by the middle of the century. China is set to reach 5.5 TW of solar by 2050, according to forecasts by Norwegian risk-assessment specialist DNV in its latest report, “Energy Transition Outlook China 2024.” The figure includes 3.9 TW of solar and 1.6 TW of solar-plus-storage. DNV said the growth will be driven by the low cost of solar energy and ongoing policy support. China’s total grid-c ..read more

The German parliament has approved "Solarpaket 1," a policy package that includes higher feed-in tariffs for commercial and industrial (C&I) solar projects and new measures related to the size of eligible installations in large-scale solar auctions. From pv magazine Germany The German parliament has approved the Solarpaket 1 measures to support the PV sector. The new legislation passed with 384 votes in favor, 79 against, and 200 abstentions. The law includes significant improvements for the C&I segment. In the future, such installations will be eligible for feed-in tariffs that will b ..read more

The France-based group said its has released two new BESSs with enclosures of 7ft and 20ft. Their power ranges from 60 kW to 500 kW. French multinational energy management company Schneider Electric has announced a new Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) for microgrids. It is available in two enclosure sizes and has different storage and discharge configurations. “Comprised of a battery system, battery management system, power conversion system, and controller, BESS has been tested and validated to work as an integral component of Schneider Electric's standardized microgrid system, EcoStruxur ..read more

The 2024 edition of the Middle East's most important solar event hosted a higher number of exhibitors and visitors, even though the heaviest rainfall seen in decades hit the United Arab Emirates throughout the first day of the trade show. Nonetheless, the event clearly showed that large-scale PV projects still dominate in the UAE market. The World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi kicked off slowly this year as the United Arab Emirates grappled with the region's worst storm in 75 years, as well as widespread flooding. The natural disaster prevented several visitors from attending the fa ..read more

In another article of a series, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Claire Gardner, Marketing Manager Europe at Chinese inverter manufacturer Solis. She tells how she had to deal with her own insecurities rather than with an women-hostile environment at the beginning of her career in the renewable energy industry. There are cases where women have faced barriers to development and progression in their careers.  So far, I have been very lucky, and honestly, the only barriers in my way would have more to do with my own insecurities.  My pathway into renewables and beginning in ..read more

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that warm sea surface temperatures and disturbances increased onshore moisture along China's southern coast, which in turn increased solar irradiance by 5-15% on long term averages. March weather patterns in Asia saw notable shifts due to jet stream movements and an extended monsoon season, impacting solar energy potential across the region, according to analysis using the Solcast API. In Japan, the southward shift of the jet stream led to increased solar irradiance in Hokkaido, where levels were 10-20% higher than usual f ..read more

The Korea Institute of Energy Research has developed a solid oxide electrolysis cell stack that uses a special kind of separator plate to ensure proper flow of hydrogen and oxigen after water splitting. Samsung Electro-Mechanics and Bumhan Industries are now cooperating with the research center to improve relevant manufacturing process. The Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) announced a group of its scientists developed an 8 kW solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) that can reportedly produce more than 5 kg of hydrogen per day. SOEC systems usually rely on a solid oxide, or ceramic, to p ..read more

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has issued its first report on the importance of battery energy storage technology in the energy transition. It has found that tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 would require 1,500 GW of battery storage. Batteries need to lead a sixfold increase in global energy storage capacity to enable the world to meet 2030 targets, after deployment in the power sector more than doubled last year, the IEA said in its first assessment of the state of play across the entire battery ecosystem. In this scenario, battery energy storage systems would account for 90 ..read more

OCI has revealed plans to invest $617.9 million to expand production at its Malaysian manufacturing facility from 35,000 to 56,600 metric tons. OCIM Sdn Bhd (OCIMSB), the Malaysian unit of South Korean polysilicon producer OCI, will ramp up the annual production capacity of its polysilicon factory in the Samalaju Industrial Park in Sarawak, Malaysia, by 21,600 metric tons (MT). “OCI Holdings has agreed to invest KRW850 billion ($617.9 million) in Malaysia by 2027 to increase the production capacity of local company OCIM from 35,000 tons to 56,600 tons per year,” a spokesperson from the company ..read more