Solar panels on the water

We are used to seeing solar panels on the roofs of houses or on large expanses of land, but not on reservoirs.

What floats on water, is powered by the sun and respects the environment?

 

We bet your answer to this riddle would never have been a photovoltaic plant. Until now, that is. That's right: floating photovoltaic plants now exist. Technology never ceases to amaze us with innovations like this, adapting a clean energy source to a medium for which it was not initially designed.

 

We are used to seeing solar panels on the roofs of houses or on large expanses of land, but not on reservoirs. This type of technology is starting to appear in other parts of the world but the floating photovoltaic plant on the Sierra Brava reservoir (Extremadura) is the first one to be connected to Spain's electricity grid.

This project means various types of solar panels, inclinations and flotation systems can be tested together in a real environment. The most innovative elements include the installation of bifacial panels, modules where the back-facing surface is transparent to allow natural light to reach the back face, which is installed at various different inclinations (30, 45 and 90 degrees), in order to compare which inclination performs best.

 

Advantages of this new technology

 

The floating photovoltaic plant has shown several advantages over land-based plants, factors that can compensate for the higher initial investment. 

 

We will talk about them in the following gallery.
Better performance

Better performance due to a lower environmental temperature, as a result of being close to the water and on surfaces with a high exposure to the sun and that are less prone to shading.
It does not use farm land

It offers an alternative to conventional photovoltaic plants for locations where there is a shortage of land. Having the plants on the water frees up the land where the conventional plant would be, allowing that land to be used for other purposes, such as agriculture.
More and better quality water

In terms of the environment, floating photovoltaic plants reduce the amount of water that evaporates in reservoirs and improves the quality of the water by reducing algae growth.
Coexistence with local fauna

The project's environmental measures include implementing two floating islands and introducing nest boxes to encourage birds to nest in the environment.

More than just the obvious, that's for sure. This facility opens up new horizons for solar energy. ACCIONA is moving towards an innovative future and is trying to achieve cleaner energy that is increasingly more efficient and sustainable. Because, besides the fact it is on water, the Sierra Brava plant has some really interesting data:

 

  • The plant has been built primarily as a research centre for developing this technology.
  • It is made up of 5 different fields where different degrees of inclination of the panels or their flotation systems are tested.
  • Its 3,000 solar panels generate 1 megawatts of energy, which, for example, could provide light to 10,000 homes for a whole year.
  • It only takes up 07 % of the total area of the reservoir.
  • It is attached to the bottom of the reservoir by a system of anchored concrete blocks. Under the panels, a spider web is formed from 74 cables that are attached to 74 concrete blocks.

In order to give you a clearer idea of the characteristics of this type of plant and the benefits it provides, we have prepared this infographic. Shall we take a look?

 

 

INFOGRAPHIC. Floating photovoltaic plant

ACCIONA is a leader in providing sustainable solutions for infrastructure and renewable energy projects across the world.

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