Japan has been
working to shift more of its energy generation to renewable sources in the
years since the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, aiming to double its
renewable energy output by 2030. In that rush, the country has come up with
some smart ways to install distributed solar power. The latest idea has been to
develop floating solar power plants that cover small inland bodies of water
like ponds and reservoirs.
Solar power company
Kyocera has been leading the charge and just recently launched a solar power
plant that floats on a reservoir and will produce about 2,680 megawatt hours
per year -- enough for 820 typical households. The installation consists of
almost 9,100 waterproof solar panels atop a float made of a high-density
polyethylene.
Kyocera previously
installed this technology in two smaller power plants over ponds earlier this
year.
Why make floating
solar power plants when the land-based ones do just fine? Well, there are three
major benefits to marine solar tech. The first is that they don't take up any
land space. In Japan where cities are dense, agricultural land is limited, and
rooftop solar has really taken off, water-based solar power is another way to
rack up some clean energy, without taking up extra space.
The second, and most
important, is that the water helps the solar panels perform better. The water
keeps the panels cool, which makes them operate more efficiently and helps them
last longer.
The third benefit is
to the body of water itself. When panels are placed over reservoirs, they
discourage water evaporation and algae growth, both of which keep the reservoirs
fuller and healthier.
Kyocera has even
bigger plans for floating solar power. The company is working on a
13.4-megawatt project on the Yamakura Dam reservoir, which will be the largest
floating solar installation in the world when it starts operation in March
2016.
The plant will be
comprised of approximately 50,000 Kyocera modules over a water surface area of
180,000m2. It will generate about 15,635 megawatt hours (MWh) per year, the
equivalent of the energy demand of 4,700 typical households.
This post was originally
published: Japan
Is Building Huge Floating Solar Power Plants
Related article: Roof
Mounted Solar Panels
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