Most aquatic solar installations have been placed on relatively calm bodies of water to date as rough seas can destroy solar equipment and the platforms on which they are installed.
However, a new development from the Vienna University of Technology may enable oceanic solar farms to be established.
The TU Wien invention is a platform system that can span one hundred metres long while remaining steady during rough weather.
Called Heliofloat, the “almost unsinkable” platform is supported by open flotation devices that resemble downward-facing barrels. The floatation units are made from a soft, flexible floating material. The upper section contains air that cannot escape, but has direct contact with the water below. The column of air acts as the primary shock absorber, while the flexible side walls absorb small, horizontal forces.
When suitably configured, waves rise and fall under the Heliofloat while the platform above float remains rocky steady just above the water.
“Such a construction would be impossible using closed and rigid air cushions, as these would absorb the wave energy to a much greater extent, causing the platform to sway wildly and eventually break,” according to the TU Wien press release.
The research team at TU Wien have also developed concepts for the use of solar panels and mirrored troughs.
Floating solar power stations are particularly attractive in countries where available land may be scarce. Other benefits of aquatic solar include the water below helping to keep the solar panels cool, which boosts conversion efficiency; reducing water evaporation and inhibiting the growth of algae.
Beyond solar, Heliofloat platforms could also be used for desalination plants, aquaculture enterprises, sports facilities and perhaps even homes in the future.
A small Heliofloat prototype will be demonstrated at the Hannover Messe trade fair. A second, larger prototype (4m x 4m) has been tested and demonstrated capabilities of withstanding any, even a one-in-a-hundred-years storm, according to the Heliofloat web site.
Floating solar has already made an appearance in Australia; at Jamestown in South Australia. Last week, Lismore City Council released tenders for the Lismore Community Solar project, which includes a 99kW floating solar farm to be installed on a settling pond at the East Lismore Sewage Treatment Plant.
