There are dozens of offshore wind farms around the world.
By putting wind turbines in the oceans,
farms started generating more energy than they possibly could on
land.
But can we place solar power plants on water as
well?
It sounds bizarre, but several companies are developing solar panels
that could be placed on rivers,
reservoirs, and even oceans. But is it really going to
work out?
Let's find out.
These are floating photovoltaics, or just floating solar farms,
a newly developed branch of the solar industry.
Basically, they're the same solar panels,
but reinforced with platforms that help them float on water.
Several companies have already placed their solar farms on man
made reservoirs.
They're easy to access and less disruptive to aquatic life.
Over the past few years this branch has gone through
many improvements.
One of the companies, the Norway based Ocean Sun,
inspired its design from a giant water Lily and developed
a solar system on a thin,
flexible membrane. Technicians can even walk on it with no
problem.
It can withstand wind speeds of up to 300 kilometers
per hour and produce
6.6 kilowatt hours.
Another company, Heliorec, installed a 25 kilowatt system that survived
2 storms.
There are three major benefits to such solar farms.
First of all, floating solar farms free up space on
land,
which can be used for other purposes like agriculture.
Second of all, floating solar panels are cooled with water.
Therefore, they perform much better than their land alternative.
That is because solar panels can overheat and thus damage
their components.
Panels will have an expanded lifespan and improved efficiency when
cooled with the water source.
And finally, water reservoirs shielded by solar panels are protected
from the sun's heat.
Evaporation is a huge issue that can damage nearby communities
that rely on this water,
so it's a win win situation for both parties.
If this system is so good for freshwater,
we can safely place it in the ocean,
right? Actually, it isn't as easy as people think.
Saltwater itself is one of the many things that prevent
solar panels from being placed in oceans.
Metals exposed to saltwater have the highest risk of corrosion.
The Ocean's elements are so aggressive that they can penetrate
and destroy them.
For example, all aircraft carriers aircraft must be washed as
frequently as once per week.
The salt water on a vehicle's body is extremely dangerous
to its vital parts.
Other than that, solar panels must be durable enough to
withstand high winds and waves that can overrun the structure
altogether.
This will be an issue especially during storms.
To top it off, solar panels will either damage the
local ecosystem or become an artificial shelter for marine life.
Both outcomes are highly unwanted.
Despite the many issues floating solar farms face,
things aren't as bad as someone might think.
Offshore wind farms, for example,
were met with the same set of challenges.
They are prone to corrosion and damage from waves.
However, after years of development,
offshore wind farms proved to be a lucrative industry that
can go through this challenge with minimal risks.
Doing the same with solar panels might be much more
difficult,
but it's far from impossible.
The world always welcomes new ways of generating renewable energy,
and we hope floating solar panels can overcome challenges and
work everywhere,
even in the harshest environments of our planet.