The solar industry makes solar panel installation independent of an area’s capacity. Can you imagine installing a solar panel without worrying about its fit to the roof? A marvelous change in the industry! You may ask, “Will my roof then be removed or expanded? Will my house be modified? Do I need to rent additional space on land for the installation?” No, no, and no. The innovative approach to installing solar panels came up with the idea to mount the equipment on water bodies like lakes. Such photovoltaic (PV) panels that may be mounted on bodies of water are called floating solar panels. Besides its peculiar nature, it also creates challenges for the industry to grow further. A solar panel inverter cannot operate placed on water bodies. That is why a need arises to make string inverters in photovoltaics. Indeed, I’d say that the benefits of floating PV panels may override its challenges.
The Benefits Of Floating Solar Panels
I guess we already came up with the utmost benefit of these panels – they don’t take up land space. The space required for the installation of the equipment can now be used for other purposes. These include construction, farming, and anything else that your imagination thinks of. What else can floating panels provide as an advantage? By being placed on bodies of water, they get a cooling effect from the water body. The cooling effect contributes to increased performance by at least 5 percent. If the number seems unworthy to get the equipment, let me tell you that such small increases in performance yield substantial cost savings in the future. Not to mention, the fact of being placed on water bodies benefits the environment. The interconnectedness of panels and water bodies eliminates algae blooming, water pollution, and evaporation. Furthermore, the potential of floating solar panels to address climate change is huge. With population growth, energy consumption needs will increase. Increased electricity needs and a large population means that some alternatives to access energy won’t harm. So, environmentally friendly, cost-efficient, and flexible – floating panels worth it!
Are Floating Solar Panels Practical?
Nowadays, the solar market constantly tests theory-proven renewable innovations like floating solar panels. Japan is the first country that implemented floating solar panels in 2017. As Japan was the first user of the new equipment, they started with a small to the midsize installation of 5 MWp. Later, when they saw efficient functioning of the equipment, they started utilizing floating panels of 180 MWp. A huge step forward! After Japan, the United Kingdom and Korea also began implementing them. Even though they have an example of a country that used high MWp panels, these countries kept it safe and went for 12MWp and 80 MWp, respectively. As expected, these installations also turned out to be successful. With time, larger implementations of floating solar panels started. Could you imagine that several big projects amounted to 700 MWp? Unbelievable but true!
Final Words
Going solar has never been so comfortable, flexible, promising, and innovative! Try floating solar panels out – be a part of the industry’s creativity.
