L R AS Published on Monday 7 February 2022 - n° 392 - Categories:floating power plant
The success of floating PV plants
Floating solar systems are becoming increasingly popular according to the IEA-PVPS 2021 study. According to Singapore's SERIS, Asia leads the way with
85% of global capacity deployed in East and South East Asia. Japan, the pioneer of floating PV, still has the largest number of projects (around 200), while China remains the leader in terms of installed capacity with 1.3 GW of floating PV deployed.
Developers have taken advantage of the many artificial lakes created by the flooding of former coal mines. "These so-called subsidence areas are almost ideal as they are considered unstable territory (and therefore unsuitable for industrial or agricultural activities) and often have little bio-activity (resulting in minimal environmental impacts). "
In densely populated areas, the proximity of water bodies to centres of use is an advantage
Existing hydroelectric dams offer another opportunity for floating PV, with the joint exploitation of solar and hydro power generation. This is complementary rather than the floating plant being on the reservoir. In regions with dry and rainy seasons, "depending on the turbines and their response time, it is also possible to dampen some of the variability In regions with dry and rainy seasons, "depending on the turbines and their response time, it is also possible to dampen some of the short-term variability of solar energy (due to water movement) and thus use the reservoirs as a 'giant battery'.
https://www.pv-magazine.fr/2022/02/01/tendances-mondiales-2021-le-pv-flottant-en-pleine-croissance/
PV Magazine of1 February 2022
