SolarDuck, a Norwegian-Dutch company, has obtained funding from German utility RWE to set up a floating solar plant pilot project in the North Sea, with a peak generation capacity of 0.5MW, which will complement an existing offshore wind farm.
Solar panels on floating platforms is a far from straightforward idea: the sea is a hostile environment, and the North Sea particularly so. However, the company’s design takes this into account, with the panels positioned high enough above the water to prevent them being lifted by strong winds, and instead able to glide over the waves like a carpet.
Floating solar panels have also been tested recently in other environments, such as the Alqueva dam in Portugal, one of the largest reversible hydroelectric power plants in Europe, where the Portuguese electricity company EDP has installed a set of twelve thousand photovoltaic panels that occupy about four hectares, 0.016% of the surface of the reservoir, with an installed capacity of 5MW and batteries that can store up to 2GWh, in a relatively simpler environment, with fresh water and generally less extreme weather conditions. The installation is capable of covering a third of the demand of the nearby towns of Moura and Portel.
Other companies, such as Crosswind, a joint venture between Eneco and Shell, are also working on the idea of hybridization, complementing fast-growing offshore wind installations with floating solar panels and other sustainable technologies, as a way of multiplying the possibilities of energy generation in the same environment. We can expect to see plenty of similar initiatives; the need to reduce the role of fossil fuels in energy generation has been described by the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, as “the greatest peace plan of all.”
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian woman has designed solar panels that can be hung on the balconies of apartment blocks to help reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Such initiatives, combined with ongoing technological innovation in efficiency, mean that we will soon see solar panels of all shapes and sizes practically everywhere. As with any technology adoption process, some will take longer and some will take less, but the direction of travel is clear.
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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