A new study has found that floating solar panels could power thousands of cities around the world. It will be more cost-effective than the current power generation system. As a result, water will also evaporate less.
Instead of parking lots, open land, or rooftops, these solar panels will be mounted on floating rafts. The installation of floating solar panels on water has not yet been done on a large scale and widely.
Globally, land-based solar panels accounted for less than 1 percent of that generated by floating solar panels. But a new study shows that thousands of cities around the world could benefit from this promising technology.
According to a research report published in Nature Sustainability Journal, the entire electricity demand of 6,256 cities in 124 countries around the world can be met by floating solar panels installed in reservoirs near them.
Scientists have analyzed the detailed information of 1 lakh 14 thousand 555 reservoirs in the world and how much electricity can be produced from them.
These solar panels will cover 30 percent of the area of a particular reservoir. As a result, that part of the reservoirs will not get direct sunlight and the water will also evaporate less. A large amount of water will remain in the reservoir.
Many of the problems faced in agriculture due to the shortage of water in reservoirs during the dry season can also be solved. Scientists believe that billions of people a year will benefit from the amount of water that can be stored in reservoirs around the world as a result of the widespread use of this technology.
These solar panels floating on the water will also solve many urgent problems in the world. For example, hydroelectricity production decreases due to decreased water levels during the dry season. Again, burning reduces the efficiency of solar panels by at least 25 percent.
As a result, the amount of electricity a solar panel can produce under normal conditions will be reduced by at least 25 percent during a fire. But solar panels floating on the water will be more efficient than solar panels on the ground during a fire. Because water will naturally keep the panels cool.
If the solar panels can be installed in the reservoirs as planned, the performance of the panels will also be intact during summer. With the help of stored water, the supply of water required for hydropower installations will remain intact, and instead of reducing power generation, production will increase. Additional electricity demand in the summer season can also be met to a large extent.
Beyond that, there are several other positives. Installing solar panels on reservoirs will allow more farming on the soil. It is possible to increase the use of land for human housing and other important purposes.
However, more research is needed on this technology. For example, exactly how much electricity can be produced from a particular reservoir, what are its side effects, etc.
Installing too many solar panels in a reservoir can lead to a lack of oxygen in the water, which can threaten fish and other aquatic life.
The researchers said that it would be more appropriate to use natural reservoirs than to create artificial reservoirs. In this regard, the most useful reservoirs are in the United States, followed by China and Brazil.
This technology will be most useful for people in cities or localities that have large reservoirs nearby. However, if the city or locality is relatively small or its population is less than 50,000, then it is possible to meet their needs through the electricity generated from these reservoirs.
Of the cities analyzed in this study, 15 percent of the cities with a population of more than 1 million could meet their entire needs with the help of these floating solar panels.
Installation of floating solar panels has started in some areas. In June last year, the US Army installed one such floating solar panel at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
In addition, giant floating solar panels have been installed in Shandong province. In Hapcheon, South Korea, 92,000 solar panels have been installed on the water. Energy analysts believe that these solar panels can solve many of the world’s electricity problems.