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Natural hydrogen is piquing interest. Sometimes referred to as “gold” or “white” hydrogen, natural hydrogen plants offer smaller carbon footprints than sprawling green hydrogen projects, with faster development times, according to Avon McIntyre, executive director of HyTerra.

The clean power numbers published annually by the International Renewable Energy Agency provide a snapshot of the global solar market and, this year, a lot of figures were unchanged from the previous dataset, especially in the off-grid segment.

Japan’s Panasonic claims its new pilot solar-plus-hydrogen facility marks the first attempt to create a factory powered by 100% renewables, via the full-scale use of hydrogen.

Developed by an MIT spin-off, the device is based on a standard, two-electrode electrochemical cell containing conductive polymers, a carbon-graphene hybrid, and a non-flammable liquid electrolyte. The battery cells were tested to perform for 12,000 cycles at 100% depth of discharge.

The new product relies on 23.4%-efficient solar cells and features a short-circuit current of 10.8 A. It can be folded into a briefcase and is claimed to be an ideal solution for camping and outdoor activities.

The solar park will sell power to the Bangladesh Power Development Board at a price of $0.1195/kWh under a 20-year power purchase agreement.

New research has categorized all existing fault detection and localization strategies for grid-connected PV inverters. The overview also provides a classification of various component failure modes and their potential causes in a tabular form.

The Genap Energy Cover uses HyET Solar Powerfoil thin-film solar modules, rated at 12.0% efficiency, for agricultural water storage and reservoirs, with an initial focus on the greenhouse and horticulture markets in the Netherlands. Genap said a 12kWp test setup had a generation density of 60W/m2, rising to 120W/m2 within a year, with an eventual target of 165W/m2.

The UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has published new research showing that hydrogen leaks could have an indirect climate-warming impact, partly offsetting efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Swiss Clean Battery is set to start commercial production of its pure solid state batteries in Switzerland. The batteries are based on a protected electrolyte made of a solid ion conductor, which helps to maintain internal resistance and capacity. The fixed ion conductor is formed in the battery cell itself, similar to a multi-component adhesive.