What is Floating Solar Farms?
The number of solar panel users across the globe is growing by the minute. This may be thanks to its now affordability and higher efficiency, attracting millions and millions of consumers worldwide.
Since the introduction of solar panels to the world, we were told that they are meant to be placed on rooftops and large portions of land. However, some experts today are suggesting to put them in a rather unconventional area: on reservoirs and other bodies of water.
This may pose serious concerns and questions, but studies have shown excellent energy-generating potential of this new technology. Several countries across the globe are already investing and operating their own floating solar panel farms.
What really makes floating solar farms (floatovoltaics) an attractive option is that it gives flexibility on where solar farms should be installed. Instead of acquiring large areas of unused land, those utilizing this renewable energy can now tap the potential of nearby water systems and reservoirs. This is rather beneficial for countries, such as Japan, which has limited land and roof space to accommodate solar panels.
The cost of installation of floating solar panels is also greatly reduced, all while producing significantly more energy than those panels in the all. The panels also don’t necessarily disrupt the water ecosystem as they contribute very little impact to the maritime life — all of this without wasting valuable real estate and properties.
With high durability and longer lifetime, floating solar farms or floatovoltaics would greatly reduce the cost of energy production, as well, eventually decreasing consumer bills in the long run. With some countries already on the move to funding floating photovoltaic projects, it will not be long enough before the popularity of this technology skyrockets.
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