NEWS & INSIGHTS | Opinion
Solar cell world-record efficiency and UK renewable growth
More to net zero news: NZTTP Showcase; UK Energy Trends; Transparent Solar Cells
Chief Technology Officer at NZTC, Luca Corradi, and his team closely monitor the global net zero landscape. They follow the trends, policies, investments, and technological innovations that, together, bring the world closer to its shared climate goals. Learn more about our horizon scanning service. This week, Luca and his team look back at the NZTTP showcase, explore renewable growth and rising import dependency in the UK and share a key solar cell efficiency milestone from SolarCity.
Net Zero Technology Transition Programme (NZTTP) ‘Into the Future’ Showcase
NZTTP consists of seven interconnected projects aimed at transforming the energy industry into an integrated, digitally enabled energy system. With the Energy Transition Fund concluding, the showcase brought together industry experts, developers and operators to share the successes of these projects and next steps.
- Hydrogen Backbone Link: showed a new pipeline from Scotland to Europe is feasible and is working towards it becoming a reality.
- Energy Hubs: identifies and addresses the challenges associated with large scale production of hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives. Integration of several energy hubs into a Super Hub will enable a green hydrogen export market via the hydrogen backbone link.
- Alternative Fuels for Gas Turbines: proved the validity of low carbon alternative fuels in existing turbines with minor retrofittable modifications.
- Advancing Remote Operations (ARO): has equipped the energy industry with the knowledge, know-how and technology solutions required to accelerate widescale adoption of remote operations.
- Data for Net Zero (D4NZ): is a showcase of a variety of models and tools that have demonstrated the potential for a Smart Energy Basin to unlock data-driven decision making in the offshore energy and marine environment.
- OLTER: is addressing the barriers to adoption, scalability and commercialisation of robotics in the offshore industry through several field trials and recommendations
- Offshore Energy Digital Architecture (OEDA): has delivered a proof-of-concept data-sharing service to support decision-making, increase automation, and improve operational performance across the energy industry. ARO, D4NZ, OLTER and OEDA have a played a key role in the formation of the proposed Digital Energy Nexus (DEN). The DEN will be a state-of-the-art facility to drive and accelerate the adoption and commercialisation of digital technology in the energy sector, focussed on latter stage TRL levels and connecting to, not duplicating, the wider ecosystem
UK Energy Trends – DESNZ has published the official UK energy statistics for 2024
Overall, UK energy production dropped by 5.5% reaching a consecutive record low according to the DESNZ Energy Trends series. Despite relatively low energy demand, this reduction in energy production led to an increase in net import dependency, rising to 43% from 40.8% in 2023. Electricity imports increasing by 31% compared to 2023, with most energy imported from Norway and the US.
In 2024, UK electricity demand increased slightly for the first time since 2021. Meanwhile, renewable generation rose by 6.5%, achieving a record share of 50.8% of electricity generation. Furthermore, when combined with nuclear, low carbon sources generated 65% of electricity.
Since 2018, renewable generation has increased by 31% with offshore wind accounting for almost two-thirds of this growth. Although offshore wind capacity increased in 2024, generation decreased compared to 2023. This was due to a subsea export cable fault, curtailment, and lower-than-expected winds in the South East.
Electricity generation from fossil fuels decreased by 16%, dropping to levels last seen in the 1950s, with a share of 31.5%.
UK production
Source: DESNZ Energy Trends March 2025
Transparent Solar Cells – The CitySolar project has developed transparent solar cells with a world record efficiency of 12.3%
Researchers from the EU-funded CitySolar project have set a new world record for transparent solar cell efficiency at 12.3%. These solar cells combine perovskite and organic solar cells, allowing them to absorb near-infrared and near-ultraviolet light, while letting visible light pass through. Moreover, with around 30% transparency, they can be integrated into windowpanes of buildings, allowing energy production without needing additional space or special structural changes. Currently, this project is currently at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 and 6.
The team, co-ordinated by the Italian National Research Council, includes nine partners from six countries. Additionally, they nave received nearly €4 million in funding from the EU to help Europe reach its target to fully decarbonise the building sector. Notably, this sector accounts for about 40% of the continent’s energy consumption. However, the device is not yet ready for commercialisation due balancing cost, aesthetics, and efficiency. The team is in discussions with industry partners to explore future real-world applications.
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