As solar technology grows in accessibility and affordability, it’s quickly becoming one of the biggest contenders to replace fossil fuels. However, the space they require can pose challenges. Switching to floating solar farms is one potential solution, but that doesn’t solve all the problems. What are the pros and cons of floating solar farms and how do they compare to traditional land-based ones?
Pros of Floating Solar Farms
Floating solar farms have many advantages to consider. These may make homeowners or organizations want to choose them over traditional approaches to solar energy.
Improved Water Quality
Floating solar farms work best on stagnant bodies of water like lakes, ponds or reservoirs. They can keep the water cooler by blocking the sunlight from filtering down, which discourages algae growth. Algae blooms can destroy a lake’s ecosystem, consuming all the oxygen and starving fish and aquatic plants.
Water Cooling for Solar Panels
Solar panels work in nearly any climate, but as the temperature begins to climb, they start losing some of their efficiency. Floating solar farms do not have this problem. The cool water below the panels acts as a heatsink and cooling system, ensuring optimal efficiency at all times.
Applications at Water Treatment or Power Plants
Living water sources are not the only place to put these panels. Hydropower plants store massive amounts of water, creating artificial lakes and water treatment plants often have open-air reservoirs. These artificial bodies of water are excellent places to put solar farms that won’t interfere with natural water sources.
Doesn’t Take Up Valuable Space
Traditional solar farms take up a lot of space, which means they are not viable for locations with limited square footage. Floating solar farms can go nearly anywhere, providing the same power without using up valuable acreage.
No Erosion
One of the biggest challenges with traditional solar farms is erosion. Solar panels block the sunlight from reaching the ground below, stunting or killing off native vegetation. While farms can take steps to mitigate this damage, there is no risk of erosion with floating solar panels.
Floating Solar Cons
Floating solar farms might seem like the answer to all your solar problems, but they do have some cons.
Higher Maintenance Costs
Water exposure means these solar panels are more prone to damage and may have higher maintenance prices than their land-based counterparts. This con might shrink in the future as more maintenance professionals enter the solar industry, but for the moment, maintaining floating panels will cost more.
More Difficult to Maintain
Maintaining a basic solar panel is not easy, but they do not require you to put on waders or get in a boat to reach it. Getting a team out into the water to maintain floating solar panels is more complex than leaning a ladder against a house or walking out into a solar field.
Standard Solar Farm Pros
People in the United States are more familiar with land-based solar arrays that stretch as far as the eye can see. Like their floating counterparts, these have some pros and cons to consider.
No Emissions
No one likes living next to noisy power plants that dump smoke or exhaust into the air. Solar farms are quiet and generate no emissions, making them good neighbors.
Low Maintenance
Low is relative, but traditional solar farms require much less maintenance when compared to the potential risks of floating solar panels. Barring a natural disaster, most solar fields will not need much work to keep functioning at peak capacity.
Easier Installs
Installing solar fields — or even roof-top solar panels — is often easier than setting up a system designed to float on a lake.
Solar Farm Cons
Traditional solar farms might have benefits, but they are far from perfect.
Require Lots of Dedicated Space
Solar panels are not 100% efficient, so it takes a lot of them to generate enough power to make a difference. With current technology, the average panel is between 14% and 22.5% efficient, meaning if you have an array capable of generating 100 mWh, you’ll get 22.5 mWh at best. The larger your array is, the more power it can create, but the more space you’ll use to achieve that goal.
What Is the Best Type of Solar Farm?
The answer to this question will depend on the available space and the demands of users. For areas with artificial bodies of water but not a lot of land, floating solar farms might be the best option. For everyone else, a traditional solar farm could help reduce utility bills. The decision comes down to choosing the option that is best for you.