Why Floating PV?
- Return on investment boosted from the low lease price and installation costs
- Streamlined manufacturing process to ensure low production cost and competitive system prices
- Higher electricity production thanks to the cooling effect of water on panels and cables
Eco – Friendly
- All materials can be recycled
- Reduction of water evaporation to conserve irrigation or drinking water
- Slower algae growth thanks to the shielding of the water by the floating island
- Low environmental impact: no excavation work, no impact on water quality
- Reduced erosion of reservoir embankments by reducing waves
Among the benefits of using floating PV systems is the water-cooling effect on silicon solar cells, the natural reflectivity of the water surface, the potential reduction in algae growth due to reduced sunlight penetration, and a lower water temperature in the areas below the arrays.
What are the Benefits of Floating Solar Panels?
The use of floating solar panels has a number of economic benefits when compared to relying on traditional solar panels. Floaters are growing in popularity in areas that have limited land space, such as islands, to use for capturing solar energy. Underutilized areas such as reservoirs can become very productive power stations. The possibilities are endless — local governments can take advantage of this technology, but so can commercial enterprises near bodies of water that would like to become more environmentally conscious and efficient.
Solar panels actually work better when they are cooled. That’s why if you have two identical systems, one on land and one on the water, the one on the water is going to actually perform better. Another advantage of floating solar panels is that they can shade the water they float on and reduce evaporation by up to 70%. For example, if a 3 acre water storage pond was covered with solar panels, 4 million gallons of water could potentially be saved from evaporating every year. Also, the solar panels prevent sunlight from hitting the water which can slow down algae growth. When it comes to energy generation, one square acre of floating solar panels is capable of generating 500,000 kWh.