The advantages of a floating solution
The floating photovoltaic advantages are many and involve both economic aspects, such as a significant increase in production, and environmental aspects, such as the protection of the water resource by reducing its evaporation.
The system was designed to maximize the electricity production of the floating photovoltaic panels. Thanks to the proximity to the water surface, and to the greater reflected light that reaches the floating photovoltaic panels, the production of the floating photovoltaic system can increase from 5 to 20% compared to a similar system installed on the ground.
The higher yield compared to a plant of the same power installed on the ground is guaranteed by the proximity of the photovoltaic panels to the surface of the water which helps to cool the silicon cells in moments of greater heat, thus increasing their yield. A modest contribution can be made by the greater amount of light reflected from the water compared to the ground, but only at high latitudes. In winter, however, thanks to the mitigating effect of the water, the panels defrost earlier and it is possible to earn up to an hour of production per day.
By installing a floating photovoltaic system, it is also possible to obtain a significant reduction in water evaporation in the area affected by the installation. The assessments carried out on the plants built show a reduction in evaporation of up to 80% on an annual basis.
How does it work?
We have designed a structure on which to anchor the photovoltaic panels, which can be made of aluminum or stainless steel (AISI 304 or 316) which can support 4 photovoltaic panels of any size. It is also possible to choose the tilt of the floating photovoltaic panels.
The floats used in combination with the support structures are made of HDPE , and are characterized by a buoyancy capacity of 350kg / m2 .
The system is modular, the floating structures made up of 4 panels can be joined to form larger islands.
When is it convenient?
In all those cases where a natural or artificial reservoir is available, and there is a significant consumption of electricity, the choice of a floating photovoltaic system as an alternative to a traditional system installed on the ground is always a winner. The costs of the two solutions are very similar, but the floating solution guarantees a significant increase in production, avoids soil consumption, and preserves the water from evaporation.
In arid contexts, where water is scarce, preserving the water resource by installing a floating photovoltaic system on the collection tanks, rather than aqueduct basins or for irrigation, allows to obtain important benefits.
Installed on re-pumped hydroelectric plants, it allows to exploit the sun’s energy to implement storage systems in the form of potential energy.