A Different Kind of Hydropower: How floating solar panels can make lakes more (or less) resilient to climate change

摘要

Hundreds of specially designed floating photovoltaic systems - also known as floatovoltaics - are being built around the world, predominantly on lakes and reservoirs in China, Japan, and the United Kingdom. First developed and patented in 2008, early adopters report that floatovoltaic systems often produce more electricity and operate more efficiently than their land-based counterparts because of the natural cooling effects of the waters beneath them. By the end of 2021, market research from IHS Markit (London, England) predicts that solar-power installations will generate approximately 181 gigawatts of sustainable electricity around the world - enough to power more than 135 million homes. However, solar still accounts for less than 5% of global energy production. Part of the reason is the amount of space that solar arrays demand, which often makes them impractical for municipal applications. While solar power is endlessly renewable and costs very little to produce, each square foot of panel space can reliably produce roughly 20 watts of electricity - equivalent to the needs of about one fluorescent lightbulb.