Has a fear of diminishing natural energy sources taken a toll on your mind? Worry less because, with the tools we have today, and the advanced technologies and resources to fulfill our dreams, we have numerous options for a smooth energy transition to renewable and sustainable sources. There are multiple options available today; depending on varying factors such as region, the ecological landscape of the area, climate changes, and the possibility of diverse weather, we can choose which would be the most resourceful, productive, and least harmful to the environment and the ecosystem of the region. Among the options of wind energy, solar panels, and Agrivoltaics, there’s a new and unique energy production method: Floating Solar.

Floating Photovoltaics (FPV) or Floating Solar has rescued numerous countries and cities that wanted to participate in the sustainable shift to energy production but could not because of land constraints. According to Markntel Advisors’ study, “Global Floating Solar Market: Forecast (2021-2026)”, Many countries with high population levels and land constraints are actively setting up floating solar plants and scaling up solar energy utilization. Before floating solar, there were many other options for sustainable energy production. But, they required an abundance of other resources, majorly land. Therefore, for many countries floating solar is a boon to the bane of less renewable energy sources. Nevertheless, many countries have utilized floatovoltaics and are moving forward with a sustainable world.

Some Major Question People Asking About a Floating Solar Panel

What is a Floating Solar Panel?

Floating solar is a system of solar panels that are mounted on a floating platform, usually on a water body. It is also known as floatovoltaics. The panels are attached to the platform, and the whole system is anchored to the bottom of the water body. The technology is still relatively new but is gaining popularity because it can be installed in areas where land is scarce, such as reservoirs, lakes, and other bodies of water.

Benefits of A Floating Solar Panel

One of the major benefits of floating solar is that it does not take up any land space, unlike traditional solar panels. It can also reduce water evaporation from the water body, which is a critical issue in drought-prone areas. Floating solar panels can also be installed near the demand centers, reducing the need for long transmission lines. As the water cools the panels, their efficiency increases, floating solar can also produce more electricity than solar panels on land.

Main Drawbacks of Floating Solar Panel

Despite its benefits, floating solar also has some drawbacks. Firstly, it is more expensive to install than traditional solar panels. Secondly, it can be difficult to maintain and repair, as it requires specialized equipment and personnel. Finally, it can have environmental impacts, such as altering the temperature and light conditions in the water body and affecting aquatic life.

Floating Solar Installations Model

There are already several successful floating solar installations worldwide. For example, Japan has installed the world’s largest floating solar plant on a reservoir near Tokyo. The plant generates enough energy to power approximately 5,000 homes. In India, the state of Kerala has launched a floating solar project to generate electricity from the water bodies in the region.

How Does Floating Solar Work?

Floating solar works in a similar way to traditional solar panels, but it has the added advantage of being mounted on water. The water cools the panels, improving their efficiency and increasing energy generation. The floating platform also helps to reduce water evaporation from the water body, which is a critical issue in drought-prone areas.

Floating Solar Panel Environmental Impacts

Floating solar can have both positive and negative environmental impacts. On the one hand, it can help to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. On the other hand, it can also affect aquatic life and alter the temperature and light conditions in the water body. It is essential to conduct environmental impact assessments before installing floating solar to minimize its negative impacts.

Future Scenarios of Floating Solar

Despite the challenges, the future prospects of floating solar look promising. With advancements in technology and increasing demand for renewable energy, the cost of floating solar is decrease, making it more accessible. Additionally, innovations in floating solar, such as hybrid systems with wind turbines, could improve its efficiency and reliability. Overall, floating solar is an innovative and promising solution to the challenges of renewable energy production.

Yes, We Are Putting Solar Panels On the Water!

Solar panels and energy through the sun have been our savior against depleting natural resources. They help tremendously towards putting a stop to exploiting extraction of fossil fuels leading to fossil fuel depletion. Similarly, we have covered numerous energy-generating options, from building big dams with acres of land dedicated to wind turbines. Likewise, we started adopting the sun as the energy source and dedicated a large amount of land to solar panels. However, with choices such as Agrivoltaics, the land is not fully dedicated to panels but rather serves as a resource to agriculture. Now, our solar panels are floating on lakes, and we have a new resource for energy production that does not require land.

Floating solar is when we mount the panels on a structure that flows on a body of water like lakes, ponds, and oceans for rapid and clean energy generation.

Energy Transition, And How Is It Connected with Mitigating Climate Change?

The conversion of old energy sources, harming the ecosystem and depleting the natural reserves of fossil fuels, to sustainable energy sources like wind and solar energy is an energy transition. It reduces pollution, improves air quality, lowers CO₂ emissions, and more, which all ultimately help us in mitigating climate change and protecting ourselves and the planet for the future. Floatovoltaics is inherently the primary element facilitating the energy transition from fossil fuels to sustainable electricity production.

More and More Renewable Energy Sources

The demand for sustainable power generation, such floating solar technology, is growing at an astronomical rate due to the rapidly dwindling fossil fuel supplies. Given the abundance of sunshine on the planet, solar energy is the renewable resource that is expanding the fastest. Additionally, advantages including sustainability, cost-effectiveness, ease of upkeep, outstanding durability, and minimal environmental impact are strongly influencing the adoption of floating solar plants worldwide, which will in turn drive the global market in the years to come.

Costs Extraneous to the Transportation of Floating Solar Plants

The cost of deploying floating solar plants rises as a result of the extra expenses incurred when moving them to farther-flung and more isolated places. Additionally, the lack of a proven track record, installation issues, and trouble maintaining electrical components may all pose challenges to the market’s expansion in the years to come.

Increased Pressure to Meet Sustainable Energy Generation Goals

Over the upcoming years, the Floating Solar Market will have profitable growth prospects due to the expanding energy demands around the world and the growing move towards renewable energy sources.  Asia-Pacific is dominate the Floating Solar Market with the greatest share. Asia-Pacific anticipates a wealth of attractive opportunities for the solar sector with to the region’s enormous reservoir availability, favourable climate, and growing emphasis on the generation of renewable energy.

How Is Floating Solar Helping in The Energy Transition?

The multiple benefits of floatovoltaics are pushing energy transition forward. They provide higher energy yield, improved quality of water, reduction in evaporation reduction, algae bloom in the water body, greenhouse gas emissions, and so much more. The improved efficiency of panels, with the cooling effect through water, also helps in the sustainability of floatovoltaics. The cheaper installation of the projects, with the ability to rotate and raise the panels, only adds to the consequential energy production. Ultimately, they help us generate clean energy and tremendously reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.

Ending the Ride!

Climate Change is over us, already changing the ecological balance of our planet, with some regions and countries at the forefront of struggling through these changes while the rest of the region is only seeing warning signs of it. Just because solving it would have been easier a few years ago does not mean we should give up. Mitigating climate change is the ultimate goal, and energy transition is one of the primary ways to go. And to fulfill the dream of the energy transition in numerous sustainable ways of energy production, floating solar is the cheaper and safer one. We should do what we can, so in every lake or water body where it is feasible, floating solar should be the way to go to generate energy without the guilt of resource exploitation.

Also Floating solar is an innovative and promising solution to the challenges of renewable energy production. It has numerous benefits, such as reducing land use, increasing energy generation, and reducing water evaporation. However, it also has some drawbacks, such as high installation costs and potential environmental impacts. Despite these challenges, the future prospects of floating solar look promising, with advancements in technology and increasing demand for renewable energy.