Water Based Solar Panel Installations

When you think of where to install solar panels most people look up towards their roof or on their land but, of course, there are occasions when neither of these may be the best option. For instance, if you run a business that involves a large area of water such as say a fish farm another option could be to partly cover the water with solar panels.

As the speed at which the installation of solar panels is taking place around the world is growing it is perhaps a good idea to have an increasing range of options. Well, a company in France by the name of Ciel et Terre has created a product called Hydrelio that is a solar panel platform that floats on water.

This creates increased opportunities as the solar panels could be installed on irrigation canals, lakes and reservoirs to name but three. Ciel et Terre are targeting companies that place a great reliance upon water and energy but are not in a position to utilise space on the ground that would be taken up by solar panels or wind turbines.

It is also very interesting to note that Ciel et Terre claim that the solar panels forming part of their Hydrelio system are capable of producing a greater amount of energy than solar panels installed on the ground. This is as a result of the cooling effect that water actually has on solar panels. Furthermore, when the solar panels are used in this way a reduction of as much as 33 per cent in water evaporation can be seen.

In addition, the prevention of algae growth is an added benefit with this being as a result of the rays that emanate from the sun colliding with the solar panels rather than the water.  Pollution can be reduced and the water oxygenated as filtration systems could be connected to the solar panel system.

Ciel et Terre see their system being used at such places as fish farms, irrigation areas, waste water treatment plants, mining areas, dairy farms, reservoirs and wineries. The lifetime of the solar panel system is expected to be 30 years.

In view of the expansion of the solar panel industry around the world in the past couple of years it will be interesting to monitor the progress of the Hydrelio system.