FLOATING SOLAR PANELS
What are meant by floating solar panels?
- Floating solar or floating photovoltaics (FPV) is solar panel mounted on a structure that floats on a body of water mostly a reservoir or lakes.
- Floating solar is a rather new renewable energy option, but it has huge potential globally.
- The rise of floating solar panel technology is among the latest trends in the revolutionary expansion of solar Photo Voltaic electricity in recent years.
Global and Indian trends and developments in this field:
- Globally, solar PV capacity has increased almost 12 times in the last decade.
- In INDIA there is seen a sharp rise in adoption of floating solar panels.
- The projects has been started in Telangana and Visakhapatnam already.
- Recently, DELHI Government has also come up with proposal to install floating solar panels in lakes, water bodies and ponds across the city.
- According to DELHI government official,” These panels can be installed on natural water bodies and man-made lakes.
- But it will require running water with good flow, only then can it successfully generate electricity”.
ADVANTAGES OF FLOATING SOLAR PANELS:
- These panels provide a good way to avoid land consumption.
- Floating solar panels are more compact than land-based plants.
- Their management is simpler and their construction and decommissioning straightforward.
- Coverage of water basins can reduce water evaporation. In arid climates such as parts of India this is an important advantage since about 30% of the evaporation of the covered surface is saved.
- Problems of industrialized countries such as ALGAL BLOOM, can be prevented by floating panels.
DISADVANTAGES OF FLOATING PANELS:
- Floating solar panels could affect stratification, and increase in stratification could cause the bottom layer to become deoxygenated.
- The costs for a floating system are 20-25% higher than for ground-mounted systems.
- Danger to withstand in case of extreme weather, storms and waves particularly in on-shore installations.
- Operation and maintenance activities are more difficult to perform on water than on land.
Syllabus- Prelims + Mains; GS-3 Environment, Science and tech.
