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I wonder if floating PV would be an interesting alternative to the shade balls used in some reservoirs[1]? You could get the benefit of lowered evaporation and
by ch4s3 4y ago
I wonder if floating PV would be an interesting alternative to the shade balls used in some reservoirs[1]? You could get the benefit of lowered evaporation and some extra pv real-estate. Maybe the math is favorable, maybe not.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shade_balls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shade_balls
- hoosieree 4y agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/california-is-about-to-test-its-first-solar-canals-180979637/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/california-is-abou... Canals and reservoirs seem like perfect places to shade with solar.
- ncmncm 4y agoOnly bit of nonsense in the article was "Building these long, thin solar arrays could prevent more than 80,000 acres of farmland or natural habitat from being converted for solar farms." Solar can be erected in working farmland, too.
- dokem 4y agoI don't see the goals overlapping other than the fact that they both float. The solar panels will cost 1000x that of rubber balls, and the cost of repair/maintenance of floating panels will be much higher than land mounted panels. There may be some circumstances where you can kill two birds but I bet it's rare.
- ch4s3 4y agoAs the sibling points out, canals seem like a good place to shade water with solar, though probably not floating.
- ncmncm 4y agoFloating is overwhelmingly better, because cold panels are more efficient than dry ones.
- schimmy_changa 4y ago^ small nit - cold panels are more efficient than hot ones, not dry ones!
- ncmncm 4y agoDry panels get hotter than wet ones can.
- schimmy_changa 4y agoCanals are tough because the maintenance of the canal is much harder, and the flow of the canal also makes things tricky. Dr. Brandi McKuin has done some work here, looks like the best way to do this is to hang the panels suspended on cables over the canals, but that requires a lot of steel and is thus fairly expensive. I don't think we've cracked that nut yet...
- ncmncm 4y agoBalls generate zero revenue. Solar arrays generate net revenue.
- schimmy_changa 4y agothis is correct ^, it is net positive for healdsburg, for instance
- schimmy_changa 4y agoYes! Check out the Healdsburg project: https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/news/healdsburg-debuts-biggest-floating-solar-farm-in-nation/ https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/news/healdsb... "It was a desire to shade the recycled wastewater, not capture the sun’s energy, that first led city officials down the road to the solar installation, Crowley said. The city hoped to prevent algae from blooming in the two ponds — which hold treated water from the city’s municipal sewer system." They were going to pay to cover the reservoir, and instead they get paid for the solar output.
- ncmncm 4y agoOnly bit of nonsense in the article was, "'You couldn’t go out and buy a bunch of vineyard land for a solar project and make it economical,' Healdsburg utilities director Terry Crowley said." You could site solar in a vineyard, though, and get both better crop yield and better efficiency. But that is not a reason not to put solar on your reservoir, too.
- 7952 4y agoWater companies tend to use a lot of energy which is a major cost for them. That is the math that is going to be most significant.