What is a floating solar system?
Due to the scarcity of land in Singapore, we at Hebe Solar Group have set our sights on alternative and creative ways to deploy new solar projects. Sunseap identified opportunities to exploit water bodies where a large amount of surface area is underutilized as a potential solar energy system.
These areas offer potential avenues for the city of Singapore to deploy solar systems up to 1 GigaWatt peak. Floating solar systems can be deployed on bodies of water, such as lakes, and have the potential to generate more solar energy than traditional rooftop and ground-mounted solar systems.
Solar panels floating on water can generally generate more energy because the water cools the solar panels, which in turn produces more solar energy. Additionally, it reduces the amount of water lost to evaporation by providing shade to the water below.
BENEFITS OF FLOATING PV SYSTEMS
Improve energy security
The ability to produce renewable energy improves the country’s energy security.
Clean energy mix
The supply of renewable energy diversifies the energy mix.
Reduce water evaporation
The floating solar system provides shade for the water below it, reducing evaporative water loss.
Why are floating solar photovoltaic systems becoming more and more popular?
As a clean, green and renewable energy, solar photovoltaic power generation is an important pillar for addressing climate change. In addition to ground-mounted and rooftop solar installations, floating solar systems have also been in the news over the past year.
Floating solar photovoltaic (FPV) systems are a relatively new concept. The first patent for this type of solar technology was registered in 2008. Since then, floating solar panels have been installed mainly in countries such as China, Japan and the UK.
Space, or lack of space
One of the biggest advantages of FPV is that solar panel installation does not require any land space. Most of these deployments can take up unused space on bodies of water, such as hydroelectric dam reservoirs, wastewater treatment ponds, or drinking water reservoirs. This would allow landowners to take advantage of areas that would not otherwise be used, rather than installing solar panels on sunny land, which could potentially serve another purpose. Additionally, installing solar panels in open water reduces the need for deforestation and deforestation, a practice used in the solar case of large solar panel installations.
Infrastructure, Resources and Costs
Floating solar typically requires less labor and materials than similarly sized land-based projects. Also, since floating panels are generally farther away from potential sources of debris, less maintenance/cleaning may be required.
FPV units can be built much faster than fossil fuel power stations and can be ready in a few months, while coal, gas, hydroelectric and nuclear power plants can take years to build. As more and more countries in the Asia-Pacific region commit to achieving competitive solar and overall renewable energy goals, FPV will be key to achieving these goals.
Performance and Protection
Bodies of water have a cooling effect, which can increase solar panel performance by 5% to 10%, depending on the study you’re looking at. This translates into significant cost savings over time. Solar panels perform better at cooler temperatures, which means that floating solar panels will outperform terrestrial solar panels of the same size because of the cooling effect of their location on the water.
In addition to the cooling effect that water has on the solar system, it can also work in another way. Floating solar panel installations provide shade to the water body and reduce evaporation from these ponds, reservoirs and lakes. This is an especially useful environmental benefit of solar energy in regions more vulnerable to drought, as water loss from evaporation can increase over time and lead to shortages.
Shade from floating solar panels can help reduce the presence of algae that bloom in freshwater. If algae are present in drinking water sources, they can be somewhat dangerous to human health, and can also kill plants and animals that live in the water.
Top Floating Solar PV System Manufaturers in China
Xiamen Mibet New Energy Co., Ltd, are committed to providing world-class floating solar system solutions. Modular design of floating solar photovoltaic system, easy to install. The floating solar photovoltaic system adopts HDPE material, which has passed the Hunter test, anti-aging test, anti-ultraviolet test, and has a 25-year lifespan.