Solar power plants have been popping up all over the place these days... from the Sahara Desert, to rooftops — even on the top of billboards.
It's no surprise, then, that plans are in the works for floating solar power plants.
After all, if floating Funnoodle drink trays exist for summertime fun at the pool, why couldn't the same concept be applied for renewable energy?
Australian solar power company Sunengy Pty Limited has done just this in an effort to find a more affordable method of capturing the sun’s energy.
Sunengy has partnered with India’s largest integrated private power utility, Tata Power, allowing them to build a pilot plant for its patented Liquid Solar Array (LSA) technology.
The LSA technology is a low-cost solar technology that floats on water, using traditional Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) technology — a lens and a small area of solar cells that tracks the sun throughout the day.
“In our quest to deliver sustainable energy, Tata Power is consistently investing in clean and eco-friendly technologies,” said Banmali Agrawala, Executive Director of Tata Power.
“We have partnered with Sunengy, Australia for a pilot plant in India, which is concentrated photovoltaic solar technology that floats on water. This nascent technology will be demonstrated in the natural environment; it utilizes the water surface for mounting and does not compete with land that can be used for other purposes.”
According to Phil Connor, Sunengy Executive Director, and Chief Technology Officer and inventor of the LSA, the system would not work on the open ocean because it needs to be protected by wave breaks.
However, the system is safe inside of a dam. In the event of bad weather, the mirrors and sun-tracking devices turn downward and bury themselves in the water, limiting the risk of damage.
“LSA effectively turns a dam into a very large battery, offering free solar storage and opportunity for improved water resource management,” Connor said.
“LSA needs no heavy materials or huge land acquisitions and is effectively cyclone proof.” he said. “If India uses just one percent of its 30,000 square kilometers of captured water with our system, we can generate power equivalent to 15 large coal-fired power stations.”
Hydropower supplies 87 percent of the world’s renewable energy and 16 percent of the world’s power but is limited by its water resource, according to Connor.
An LSA installation could match the power output of a typical hydro dam using less than 10 percent of its surface area and supply an additional six to eight hours of power per day.
Construction of the pilot plant in India will commence in August 2011.
Sunengy plans to establish a larger LSA system in the NSW Hunter Valley in Australia mid 2012 before going into full production.
Until Next Time,
Angela Guss
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