Helmholtz Center in Berlin tests build-in photovoltaic system
“For the first time, a complete building with a façade-integrated photovoltaic system is being operated as a real-life laboratory,” says Björn Rau, head of the Advisory Office for Building-Integrated Photovoltaics at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). A total of 360 CIGS thin-film modules cover large areas of the north, west and south facades of a new building […]
PV greenhouse for soft fruits
Farmer Fabian Karthaus has been operating a photovoltaic system on his family farm in Steinhausen, Germany, for years as a sideline. The first solar panels were installed on the barn by his father when Fabian was still a teenager. Today, Karthaus makes full use of solar energy – not only to generate electricity, but also […]
18 terawatt hours of green electricity in August 2021
According to the electricity provider E.ON a new record, in August 2021, was achieved in the feed-in of electricity from photovoltaics, wind power and other renewable energy sources. The energy company reported over 18 terawatt hours of green power fed into the grid, including over 8 terawatt hours from wind power and 5.9 terawatt hours […]
Agri photovoltaic system to protect against hail in apple orchards
A research project from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) has started to improve the resilience of fruit growing. The project will run until 2025 and is scientifically supervised by the Fraunhofer Institute and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Photovoltaic modules are to replace conventional protective mechanisms, such […]
Innovative residential project with PV starts in Rotterdam
Since the Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe, with over 500 inhabitants per square kilometer, the focus of construction in its cities is on height. The 107-meter-high, “Terraced Tower”, residential complex, which was completed this year, demonstrates what urban living could look like in the future. Located directly on the […]
First floating solar power plant installed in Russia
Hevel Group has completed the construction of the first floating solar power plant in Russia, built on the reservoir at the Nizhne-Bureyskaya Hydroelectric Power Plant in the Far Eastern Amur Oblast on the Bureya River. The solar power plant will cover the hydropower plant’s own needs, enabling an increase in usable electricity generation. The annual […]
Floating solar power plant opens in Singapore
One of the world’s largest floating solar power plants was inaugurated in Singapore at the end of July. Over 122,000 solar panels cover an area of 45 soccer fields on the Tengeh Reservoir. To build the solar park as environmentally friendly as possible the floating platforms were made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). This material is […]
42 million jobs in renewables by 2050
According to calculations by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), renewable energies (RE) could employ around 42 million people worldwide by 2050. In 2019, around 11.5 million people were employed globally in RE; in solar energy alone the figure was almost 4 million. Experts expect increased demand for skilled workers there in the coming years […]
Start of the „Solar schools“ project in Kazakhstan
High school №46 in Nur-Sultan has become the first solar school in Kazakhstan. The project "Solar Schools " has now started in Central Asia after the inclusion of seven schools in Russia. On May 26, 2021, the ceremonial inauguration of the photovoltaic system was held at Gymnasium №46, partner school of the Central Agency for Schools Abroad […]
