Why we should be putting solar panels on our fields and lakes
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On our way to an emissions-neutral future the use of solar energy is crucial. The problem: the space for photovoltaic systems is getting tight. We need land for food, for housing, to preserve biodiversity. So where to go with the solar cells? Credits: Reporter: Monika Sax Video Editors: Philipp Czegka, Frederik Willmann Supervising Editors: Kiyo Dörrer, Malte Rohwer-Kahlmann We're destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn't need to be this way. Our new channel Planet A explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world — and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. Every Friday we'll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess. #PlanetA #Agrivoltaics #Floatovoltaics Read more: Outlook for the industry:https://www.solarpowereurope.org/insights/market-outlooks/global-market-outlook-for-solar-power-2022 Integrated Photovoltaics – Areas for the Energy Transformation: https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/key-topics/integrated-photovoltaics.html Space Energy Initiative: https://spaceenergyinitiative.org.uk/ Author would like to thank (for research support and background information): Greg Barron-Gafford, University of Arizona, https://www.barrongafford.org Dr. Thomas Reindl, Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, https://www.seris.nus.edu.sg Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, https://agri-pv.org/en/ Tim Pinguin, The Space Energy Initiative, UK Laura Dijksma and Gerjan Wubs, Groenleven, NL Tanja Göller, Next2Sun, Germany Børge Bjørneklett, Ocean Sun, Norway Archanaa Nivruthaa Raja, Sembcorp Industries, Singapore Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:23 Introducing Agrivoltaics 03:16 Photovoltaics place in agriculture 05:48 Taking the plunge with Floatovoltaics 09:57 Environmental impacts of floating solar 11:35 Solar power from space 14:20 Conclusion
  • growsomethinggood ()
    10•11 months ago

    Caveat: I haven’t watched the video (sorry!) so this may be covered there.

    Fields: yes, totally. Lakes: MUCH iffier for solar. Floating solar has been a bit of a pipe dream for quite some time now. Not saying it can’t be done! But the biggest issue is that water+electricity is very tricky. Water (not purified) is conductive, as are the bodies of little critters that want to crawl all over the sudden islands now in their habitat, and it usually doesn’t go great for them or your electronics. Water can be corrosive, and what do you do if your lake is in a location where it will freeze in the winter?

    Where I think you can go well with combining solar and water: canal “roof” style (well above the water, the sun there not really used for any other purpose, allows animals to access water, prevents water from evaporating). I think there is a place for floating solar to combo with dams (often a water supply you don’t want evaporating too quickly, you’ve got your electrical hookups right there, the dam itself is essentially a giant battery) but you have to solve the electricity+water issue somehow (raising it up like a big floating parking garage has been considered, maybe something like that?) before I think we start seeing it rolled out.

    Fields are great for so many reasons- easily accessible for installation/maintenance/emergency services, pretty abundant in the US, fairly close to where people are, gives rental income to farmers who may be struggling, etc. Many times solar farms can be used in conjunction with conventional farming, usually under the blanket term of “agrovoltaics”.

    One of my favorite ideas for places to put solar though is retired golf courses- already fairly flat with paths for vehicles, cleared of trees, near people, can’t farm on it due to the chemicals used to maintain that specific grass, etc.

    Solar is only growing in the US (and hopefully the world) in the next decade! It’s great to think about what novel places we can plan to put it to maximize access and utility for everyone (including distributed grid options).