Why Renewable energy? •
Ever increasing power demand & depletion of fuel
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Leads to shift our focus to renewable energy sources
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Wind & hydro RE sources are specific
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PV can be installed at any place
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Major issue of solar PV is requirement of land
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Floating solar can be installed on any water bodies
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What is Floating PV system?
It is a NEW concept for power generation.
Any sort of solar array that floats on top of a body of water known as Floating solar or Floating PhotoVoltaic (FPV).
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TYPICAL FPV APPLICATIONS
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BUILDING A FLOATING SOLAR FARM
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IT MUST FLOAT. The flotation system will need to be able to hold the weight of the panels, frameworks, wiring and other associated inverter modules. The same technology used to build floating barge and ships can be used, not limited to ballast tank systems build from metal, composite, polymer, fiber glass, plastics etc. IT MUST STAY AFLOAT FOR DECADES. The material choose must withstand years of water damage and sun scorching. A material with long decay lifespan and possibly can be reused for other purpose. IT MUST NOT CORRODE OR LEAK CHEMICALS. It is important issue as corroding or materials that leech into the waters may cause environmental hazards and pollution risk to the drinking water or aquaculture it contains.
IT MUST BE EASILY SECURED. Anything that floats may adrift on water when there is water and air movement. Like ships have anchor to hold themselves in position in waters, these floating solar farms will need to have a specific anchoring mechanism that not only secure themselves in place, but also prevent frequent contact or knocking in between devices to prevent early material failure. It also must endure the raise and drop of water levels over time.
IT MUST BE MODULAR. Modularity is one of the key concept in building a system with many identical units. It allows easy and fast manufacturing, quicker transportation and easy installation and easy swapping of faulty units.
IT MUST BE COST EFFECTIVE. Cost is a sensitive issue in all aspect. If the cost of the material to build a floating solar farm is many magnitude higher than the cost to purchase a land and build a ground based solar farm, the return from the project will be negligible, and will drive cost up for the end user.
OPTIONALLY IT MUST BE GREEN. If you have a whole system that had a purpose towards green energy generation, but using a supporting system and materials that is harmful to the environment, it will be a contradicting approach.
OPTIONALLY IT MUST HAVE OTHER USAGE. Like the old saying – kill two birds with one stone. A floating solar farms can have other functions to justify its cost. In some country, the floating solar farms are also seaweed farms and aquaculture farms.
FLOATING PV PLANT CONSISTS 1.
Floating System: A floating platform which allows the installation of the PV systems with having walkway for maintenance.
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Anchoring System: To enable the platform adjust to water level fluctuations while maintaining its position in a southward direction.
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PV System: PV generation equipment, conventional PV module or specialized CPV modules or equivalent devices, which are installed on top of the floating system.
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Underwater special marine Cable: Transfers the generated power from PV system to the land. This power can then be fed to the grid.
FLOATING STRUCTURE
FLOATING STRUCTURE…
MOORING SYSTEM OR ANCHORING SYSTEM •
A mooring system is an permanent structure which keeps the floating panels on same position and prevent them from truing or floating away.
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Usually mooring system platform can be done by using nylon rope slings.
BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF FPV
AVAILABLE SENSOR FACILITIES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Humidity Sensor Solar Cell Temperature Sensor Wind Speed Sensor Water Temperature Sensor Solar Irradiance Sensor Evaporation Pan Test
With the help of the above measurements we can do further studies to understand the positive impacts of FPV.
Floating Solar Projects By Phono solar Ltd.
China
122 MW | Huainan, China Date of Close: 2018/06/30
metric tons displaced treeplanting equivalent
145,960,800 106,551,384
Real Images
3 MW | Cixi, Zhejiang Date of Close: 2017/01/30
metric tons displaced treeplanting equivalent
3,589,200 2,620,116
Real Images
2 MW | Huaibei, Anhui Date of Close: 2017/12/30
metric tons displaced treeplanting equivalent
2,392,800 1,746,744
Real Images
76.64MW | Shandong Date of Close: 2018/12/31
metric tons displaced treeplanting equivalent
91,692,096 66,935,230
Real Images
6 MW | Shandong Date of Close: 2018/05/31
metric tons displaced treeplanting equivalent
7,178,400 5,240,232
Real Images
Conclusion
Floating Solar is one of the best option for Sri Lanka
Its gives more advantages than the drawbacks
Economically feasible
Save water and Generate electricity (Most wanted needs to Sri Lanka)
Waste Plastics can be recycled to make Pontoon (Floating Beds)
University of Jaffna got the floating device made in 3 days using Slon tubes and plastic sheeting – The Norway made BOS get lost on shipment
Thank you
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