Top 5 renewables tech redefining power generation

Innovation in the renewable energy space has been a topic this year, as developers look for new ways to generate power and generate it more efficiently and cost effectively.

Five stories caught our attention this year, demonstrating the kind of next-gen thinking driving the energy transition.

1 - LAPERITIVO project launches to advance perovskite PV tech

The Horizon Europe supported LAERITIVO project has launched to focus on the production of stable large-scale perovskite solar panels.

Perovskite PV technology, known for its high efficiency and low production costs, is considered to represent the next frontier in solar energy.

But while regions like East Asia, particularly China, and North America have started pilot production, Europe is lagging behind in the commercialisation of the technology. The LAPERITIVO project aims to change this by focusing on the development of stable perovskite solar panels with a large surface area, targeting efficiencies of 22% for opaque and 20% for semi-transparent modules.

2 - Gazelle Wind Power raises €11.4m for floating wind demo

Gazelle Wind Power has secured €11.4 million ($12.1 million) in its Series A funding round in Portugal led by Indico Capital Partners.

This investment will accelerate the deployment of Gazelle’s 2MW floating wind demonstrator, Nau Azul, off the coast of Aguçadoura, Portugal.

Its lightweight, modular design is based on naval engineering principles, does not use active ballasting systems, and allows for scalable, adaptable configurations, making it suitable for deep water deployment.

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3 - Oh buoy! The innovation balancing act that’s making floating wind more

Spanish tech developer X1 Wind is looking to use its novel solution to make floating wind more cost-competitive. PEi's Pamela Largue spoke to João Neves, director of Strategy and Business Development at X1 Wind, about how their technology design called the PivotBuoy is making waves in the floating offshore wind space.

Said João Neves: “The industry is moving forward and we hope we continue seeing the trend of acceleration in the next few years.”

“I’m convinced that floating offshore wind in particular will be one of the key clean electricity sources for the next 20 to 30 years because it’s an abundant energy resource that we already know how to harness due to the extensive experience in onshore and fixed offshore wind.”

4 - BMW Group trials bladeless wind energy unit

BMW Group has installed Aeromine Technologies’ bladeless wind energy unit at the MINI manufacturing plant in Oxford.

BMW Group’s Oxford Plant will serve as a testbed for this technology, assessing its potential to enhance energy efficiency across BMW Group sites around the world, as well as commercial buildings in the UK.

Aeromine Technologies has designed the wind energy unit, which is installed on the edge of a building, oriented towards the prevailing wind. The unit features wing-like vertical airfoils that create a vacuum effect, drawing air behind an internal propeller to generate clean electricity.

5 - EnerKíte to test airborne wind turbine at German energy lab

German airborne wind turbine developer EnerKíte, together with a consortium of partners, plans to test its wind turbine prototype at E.DIS Group’s energy laboratory in Kezin.

The airborne wind turbine will join a solar park, several biogas plants, a combined heat and power plant and a small wind turbine, which are already in operation at the planned location.

According to EnerKite, it’s the first time an airborne wind turbine will be tested in a system network with other renewable energies and consumers.