
The Most Important 8 Energy News in The 2nd Week of June
The world’s first bifacial solar panel

First Solar, an Ohio-based thin-film PV manufacturer, is showcasing its Series 6 Plus Bifacial module at Inter-solar Europe in Munich. The pre-commercial module features a cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor, making it the world’s first bifacial solar panel.
The bifacial product line builds on the company’s Series 6 Plus mono-facial modules, which were launched in 2019. First Solar’s R&D teams have developed a transparent back contact for the module, allowing infrared wavelengths of light to pass through the back, enabling bifacial energy generation. This innovative feature reduces the module’s operational temperature and increases its specific energy yield.
First Solar plans to build a Perrysburg, Ohio, R&D innovation center in 2024, including a pilot production line for thin-film and tandem PV module prototypes.
SOURCE: First Solar
China builds the biggest and most powerful wind turbines in the world

CSSC Haizhuang has built the largest and most powerful wind turbine ever, with a 260-meter-diameter, three-bladed rotor, according to New Atlas. The shipbuilder’s H260-18.0 MW turbine, manufactured near a dock, creates up to 18 MW of electricity. The turbine’s blade length increases from 118m to 128m, sweeping 53,000 sq m more.
CSSC Haizhuang is building the majority of its components in its own factories to avoid supply chain issues. The offshore wind sector is growing rapidly, with plans for 48 GW of floating wind capacity in place by the end of 2022.
DNV forecasts that 300 GW will be installed by 2050, representing 15% of all offshore wind capacity. However, wind turbine makers are struggling to meet rising demand due to inflation and high raw material costs. The largest project to date, the 88 MW Hywind Tampen project off Norway, was meant to be fully commissioned in 2022 but has been delayed due to insufficient steel parts for four towers.
SOURCE: New Atlas
Solar Maximizer Tool: Help reduce energy bills

ARENA has awarded $929,000 to Solar Analytics for developing an online consumer smart energy tool, ‘Solar Maximizer’, to assess consumer energy resource investment decisions, including rooftop solar, smart electric hot water, batteries, and electric vehicle chargers.
ARENA’s $2.7 million project aims to reduce energy bills by analyzing energy usage, retail tariffs, and market data. The project integrates software for smart heat pump hot water systems, aiming for 1,000 units and 1 MW of variable demand capacity, promoting decarburization and renewable energy.
The report aims to guide future flexible demand projects by recruiting customers for Solar Analytics’ smart energy tool trial and hot water system trial. The tool’s goal is to provide clients with CER information, emphasize benefits, and link them with vendors for prices and installation.
ARENA Chief Executive Officer Darren Miller said the tool aims to assist users in understanding which CER can provide the greatest benefits on their energy bills.
SOURCE : Solar Analytics
The UK’s first transmission-connected solar farm has gone operational

Cero Generation and Enso Energy have connected the first solar farm to the national grid in the UK, generating over 73,000 MWh annually. The 49.9 MW Larks Green solar farm, with 152,400 modules, will displace 20,500 tons of carbon emissions annually, providing a clean, secure, and cheaper power source for consumers.
The solar farm will co-locate with a battery energy storage system (BESS) to balance energy production and produce clean energy. This innovative approach connects solar power directly to the National Grid’s transmission network, enabling greater transportation and connection opportunities for larger projects.
SOURCE: Cero Generation
German group is planning a “Green Baseload” installation at a major coal Generation Complex

LEAG, a German energy group, plans to create a clean energy hub in the eastern part of Germany, focusing on a “pure green baseload” complex. The project, involving coal mines and power stations, could generate up to 14 GW of capacity from wind, solar, energy storage, and green hydrogen production.
DLR and Xcel Energy are exploring thermal energy storage at retired coal-fired power plants in Colorado, utilizing existing transmission infrastructure. In addition, Xcel Energy plans to install molten salt energy storage at its Hayden Generating Station, where two units are scheduled for closure in five years.
The German Aerospace Center, or Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), has been researching how coal-fired power stations may be repurposed with energy storage for several years.
SOURCE: LEAG
Eversource breaks ground in Massachusetts on a first-of-its-kind geothermal system

Eversource has completed a first-of-its-kind utility-scale networked geothermal system in Framingham, Massachusetts, focusing on advancing clean technologies and achieving decarbonization goals. The pilot program highlights the collaboration between utilities, state and local governments, and environmental advocacy partners like HEET.
The system will connect around 40 single-family homes, apartment buildings, businesses, and a fire station through a new network of pipes built underground by Eversource and local contractor R.H. White Construction. Drilling for the system’s wells will begin at three designated bore fields in the area.
Eversource is evaluating the Geothermal Pilot Program to explore the cost-effectiveness of a networked geothermal system in Massachusetts.
Approved by the DPU in 2020, the pilot program aims to compare the system to traditional energy sources like natural gas, air-source heat pumps, or delivered fuels. Eversource will evaluate the pilot program through two full heating and cooling seasons to determine its potential for transitioning to clean energy sources in Massachusetts.
SOURCE: Eversource
Oman is poised to take the lead in renewable hydrogen production

The International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests that Oman has the potential to become a competitive producer of renewable hydrogen, with a goal of producing low-emission hydrogen at a cost of $1.60 per kilogram by 2030. With 60% of its export income coming from hydrocarbon exports, Oman could account for over half of the Middle East’s hydrogen exports by the 2030s.
The country aims to produce a minimum of 1 million tons annually by 2030, with a target of 3.75 million tons by 2040 and 8.5 million tons by 2050.
According to the IEA, Oman is on track to become the Middle East’s largest hydrogen exporter and the world’s sixth-largest by 2030. The country is aggressively pursuing renewable projects in order to increase power output and meet decarbonization targets.
To fulfill the 2030 hydrogen objective, however, an extra 50 TWh of captive renewable power will be required, much beyond the existing total generating capacity. The total investment required by 2030 is anticipated to be over $33 billion, with $20 billion allocated to renewable energy for hydrogen generation and $13 billion committed to electrolysis and ammonia conversion operations.
SOURCE: IEA
Grampian Tyne’s first offshore wind vessel crew has been hired by North Star

North Star, a UK vessel infrastructure support operator, has completed its offshore wind fleet with 42 experienced seafarers, 60% of whom are from its North Sea workforce. The vessel features twin Voith Schneider electric VSP stern propulsion, providing rapid response maneuvering and low fuel burn operations, enhancing North Star’s ESG aspirations.
North Star’s first SOV workboat offers hybrid-electric power for offshore logistics, enabling personnel transfers in sea states up to 1.7 mHs. The vessel is capable of building up to four new construction service operation vessels (CSOVs) with VARD, creating 200 additional seafaring jobs once operational.
SOURCE: North Star