https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Floating solar PV solutions offer land, reduced evaporation benefits

17th August 2018

By: Simone Liedtke

Creamer Media Social Media Editor & Senior Writer

     

Font size: - +

Floating solar photovoltaic (PV) solutions, which make use of a flotation system on which the PV modules are attached, address the shortage of reasonably priced land, as well as the need to reduce the rate of evaporation from precious freshwater reservoirs such as dams or lakes, Black & Veatch sub-Saharan Africa business development director Webb Meko says.

Floating solar PV, he pointed out in an interview with Engineering News, should be viewed as an evolutionary application, particularly in instances where there was a shortage of suitable land to install a land-based PV system.

A secondary benefit, he highlighted, was the reduction in the evaporation rate of freshwater resources. “For example, a 1 MW floatovoltaic system, covering a 3- to 4-acre area of water, could reduce losses caused by evaporation by up to 70%, saving between 15 Mℓ and 18 Mℓ of water a year.

“[This] will be a good solution to consider, since South Africa is a semiarid country and has had its own challenges with droughts in recent years,” Meko said.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

Comments

Showroom

Multotec
Multotec

Multotec, recognised industry leaders in metallurgy and process engineering help mining houses across the world process minerals more efficiently,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Alco-Safe

Developed to exceed the latest EN 15964 standards for police breathalysers proving that it will remain accurate and reliable for many years to come.

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.085 0.133s - 137pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now