Enlit World

Europe's transition towards a climate neutral energy system depends not only on renewable energy deployment but also on the active participation of citizens. Rooftop solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles and smart energy devices are transforming households into potential energy producers and flexibility providers.

Bristol-based Astral Systems opened its deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion testing facility to commercial users, expanding access to technology that is otherwise largely restricted to national laboratories. Alongside the announcement, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has commissioned an experimental campaign at the facility to test reactor components, tritium breeder blankets and materials under fusion-relevant conditions.

GE Vernova has been selected by Laing O’Rourke to supply a new 400kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substation at Chesterfield in the UK as part of major National Grid projects designed to increase electricity transmission capacity across the region. The substation forms part of National Grid’s Brinsworth to Chesterfield and Chesterfield to High Marnham schemes, which are upgrading the transmission network across the counties of Derbyshire, South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.

The UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has announced that easy-to-install solar panels can be plugged into homes, marking increased efforts to lower consumer power bills. The legal changes have been implemented following the necessary safety testing, which showed that compliant panels are safe and compatible with UK wiring. The low-cost panels can now be placed in any outdoor space or balcony if permitted by landlords and councils.

The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the Port of Corpus Christi in Texas have signed a memorandum of cooperation to explore the potential use of small modular reactors and other advanced energy technologies in maritime applications. The agreement will see the two organisations collaborate on opportunities to advance maritime energy systems, including assessing the potential integration of SMRs into port infrastructure.

US startup Teragen Energy has raised $6 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round as it moves its new generation of fuel cell technology from prototype development towards commercial pilot projects. The Boston-based company is a spinoff from research facility Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).

The Port of Valencia is set to expand its electricity infrastructure with a new high-voltage substation designed to double its available power capacity and support the growing electrification of its operations. The Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) has launched a tender for the project, which will provide 110MW of additional installed capacity through two 55MW transformers. The €15.6 million scheme is being co-funded by the European Commission through the Connecting Europe Facility.

A partnership between Portland, Oregon-based water technology provider InPipe Energy and BluePath Finance plans to scale power generation from water infrastructure across the US. The basis for the partnership is InPipe's HydroXS turbine solution that is installed "in pipe" and extracts energy from the water flow, acting as a mini hydropower system.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources launched its 100GWp Solar Power Plant Program in Gilimanuk, Bali. The programme represents a concerted effort from government to bring power to the many remote islands in the region and the communities that inhabit them. It’s also a move to boost energy sovereignty and reduce costly fuel imports.

Orkney’s renewable energy ambitions have taken another step forward after local contractor Heddle Construction secured a £14 million contract to deliver the civil and electrical infrastructure for the new Quanterness wind farm near Kirkwall. The Balance of Plant (BOP) contract, awarded by Orkney Islands Council following a competitive tender, covers the final design and construction of the project’s civil and electrical works ahead of the installation of the wind turbines.