Floating solar panels are emerging as a promising clean energy solution with environmental benefits, but a new study finds those effects vary significantly depending on where the systems are deployed.
Floating solar panels are emerging as a promising clean energy solution with environmental benefits, but a new study finds those effects vary significantly depending on where the systems are deployed.
Researchers from Oregon State University and the U.S. Geological Survey modeled the impact of floating solar photovoltaic systems on 11 reservoirs across six states. Their simulations showed that the systems consistently cooled surface waters and altered water temperatures at different layers within the reservoirs. However, the panels also introduced increased variability in habitat suitability for aquatic species.
“Different reservoirs are going to respond differently based on factors like depth, circulation dynamics and the fish species that are important for management,” said Evan Bredeweg, lead author of the study and a former postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State. “There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for designing these systems. It’s ecology - it’s messy.”
Read More at: Oregon State University
solar panels floating on a reservoirThe Canoe Brook Floating Solar Photovoltaic (FPV) project, the largest in the United States at the time of completion at 8.9 MW, is located on a water storage reservoir is New Jersey. (Photo Credit: Prateek Joshi / NREL)
