floating PV

Offshore PV technologies were tested for the first time under the severe wave loads generated by Delta Flume, a 300 m long man-made flume with a wave generator that is capable of producing waves as tall as five meters. The testing is intended to standardize testing and certification processes for offshore floating PV systems.

Researchers in Brazil have installed a vertical thermistor chain with six temperature loggers beneath a floating PV plant and at a nearby reference site. The system also recorded dissolved oxygen and photosynthetically active radiation to assess environmental impacts.

An international research team has developed an index-based remote sensing method to see trends in the global development of water-based PV. It has found that China currently accounts for 80% of the global total deployed capacity.

Floating solar could add 17 GW to 24 GW of capacity in Brazil, depending on pricing scenarios, while also reducing water evaporation by up to 50% and conserving water for hydroelectric generation, according to a new study.

Researchers in South Korea have conducted a literature review on recorded cases of floating PV plants placed on mine pit lakes and tailings ponds, both of which are byproducts of the mining industry. Looking at more than dozens of cases, they have concluded that mine pit lakes generally provide more stable environments for deployment.

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) has conducted new research on the impact of floating PV and water temperature and evaporation.

Scientists have simulated the addition of floating solar panels to Switzerland’s Etzelwerk, an open-loop pumped-storage hydropower plant. Using 10% of the upper reservoir for the solar panels, the research team was able to add about 20% of the energy output.

A recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) says limited long-term data on floating solar is creating uncertainty and hindering adoption.

Scientists have tested the performance of floating PV panels at a height of 800 mm and 250 mm above their floating structures. Their thermal and electrical performance was compared to that of a reference land-based system and the highest panel was found to show the greatest cooling effect.

Researchers have developed a three-step technique to estimate power generation loss in floating PV farms resulting from changes in tilt and mismatch losses. The new module was tested in an experimental setup and showed that electricity losses mainly depend both on system design and location.