As a solar enthusiast and expert, I’m fascinated to shine a light on innovative and ingenious developments that make solar power more efficient and versatile. I get especially excited when I get to influence people with accurate and viable insights about solar panels for your home or the concept of building a solar array for home. Today, let me introduce you to a unique leap in the realm of solar technology – floating solar PV trackers.
In a breakthrough development, Soltec Innovations has engineered a floating solar tracker for water bodies like reservoirs, irrigation ponds, and other inland water masses. This state-of-the-art design deviates from the norm, offering a novel approach that evolves solar power to new horizons.
Dubbed “Flotus,” this original architectural design comprises three main components: two longitudinal floats and a core floodable tank that regulates the east-west rolling movement. Instead of resting on traditional PV land-structures, the inventors reverse-engineered the concept, developing a nautical structure equipped with photovoltaic modules. This optimizes energy efficiency through enhanced orientation and solar tracking.
One fascinating element about this technology lies in its ability to let most of the light pass through it. The layout, which spaces the trackers by at least 2 meters to avoid module shading, allows for the use of bifacial panels. This characteristic makes it unique, compared to conventional floating systems.
Floating solar power infrastructure might not be the go-to for most solar companies, but the Flotus prototype challenges this perspective. Equipped with pumps, the heart of this design – the central tank – enhances stability and offers mobility. It doubles as ballast, ensuring the tracker sustains operation in wind gusts over 100 km/h.
But the real game changer? It’s Flotus’s capacity to augment energy production by 15 to 25%. This system outperforms traditional structures especially during the initial and final hours of the day and cools from the water’s effect, enhancing efficiency beyond what pure land-based solar trackers offer.
This solution lead to a significant increase in interest from developers in Spain and the United States. Looking forward, solar companies are eagerly planning to carry out the first pilot projects next year, heralding a new era for solar energy.
For me, advocating for solar power is about illuminating the path toward renewable energy innovation. When we delve into solar company designs and prototypes like Frotus, there’s a spark of potential brilliance waiting to be ignited. As we explore solar panels for your home or a broader solar array for home use, let’s keep a keen eye on the horizon – the future of solar energy is as bright as the sun it harnesses.
Original Articlehttps://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/06/17/soltec-launches-specially-designed-floating-pv-tracker/
