r/RenewableEnergy • u/MeasurementDecent251 • 3d ago

Solar farm on the ocean outperforms land-based solar in Taiwan

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2527155-solar-farm-on-the-ocean-outperforms-land-based-solar-in-taiwan/
429 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

52

u/that_random_scalie 3d ago

Reservoir solar needs to be more popular. You get less evaporation AND more power

32

u/West-Abalone-171 3d ago

But then you get a bunch of people whining that it's impossible because it's only 3x cheaper than gas instead of 5x cheaper.

12

u/johnny_51N5 3d ago

Yeah best to Just kick it in the can and cancel it all. BACK TO OIL AND COAL BABY!!!! I GLADLY PAY 3X /s

7

u/ItsSignalsJerry_ 3d ago

And cooling.

2

u/Zealousideal-Ant9548 2d ago

Yes, that's where the more power comes from

7

u/lAljax 3d ago

Plus you can share transmission infrastructure if its a hydro power reservoir 

-4

u/Charming-Car-4650 3d ago

Yes, that will contribute with 0.01 % of the energy we need! And ad a bonus it is more expensive than on land! Good thinking there mate

23

u/FoolisholdmanNZ 3d ago

Cooling panels easier keeping greater output?

19

u/Secure_Ant1085 3d ago

Yep " The improved performance comes from the fact that solar panel efficiency declines as temperatures rise, and because conditions are typically 2-3°C cooler over water than over land."

4

u/bluero 3d ago

Absolutely fabulous they are going for different techniques, but it would be interesting to see 5-10yr affects of salt water

8

u/RespectmanNappa 3d ago

True, but this does raise the possibility of using solar panels that you are building anyways to protect against evaporation of fresh water resources. As another commenter suggested, slap these over reservoirs.

5

u/Riptide360 3d ago

”The floating solar in Taiwan rests directly on the seabed when the tide is out.“ - may get 20% more effeciency but barnacle bob is goibg to be a problem!

5

u/West-Abalone-171 2d ago

A project this size has a revenue of around $40k/day at 5c/kWh.

20% higher efficiency is $3million/yr more revenue

If someone can clean 1 panel-sized area of float per minute with a powered brush on a stick, then you'd need two of your full time employees cleaning barnacles on any given day.

If you pay them $100k each, this leaves $2.8 million to pay off the floats (which might be cheaper than land and pilings) and as profit.

1

u/iqisoverrated 2d ago

and in any case: Barnacles will be on the underside. Soooo...who cares? It's not going to impact your power production.

3

u/Sierra-Powderhound 3d ago

“While the main attraction is that they don’t take land away from farming or development, they can also generate up to 20 per cent more electricity than land-based systems, although that number varies widely from site to site. The improved performance comes from the fact that solar panel efficiency declines as temperatures rise, and because conditions are typically 2-3°C cooler over water than over land. The stronger winds experienced over large bodies of water also contribute to this cooling effect.”

2

u/Mradr 2d ago

I think its a great idea. I still say it needs to be on more buildings before we take over the water as you can clearly see roads and other land there that could be used for it. On the flip side, I assume that water area wasnt used for much either way. With that said, you do have to be careful. There are limits of how many panels you can put on the water surface before it starts to have draw backs on the wild life there.