The World Bank is encouraging construction of floating solar\nprojects on water citing efficiency and cost-effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A floating solar plant comprises an array of solar panels\ninstalled on a buoyant structure that floats on a body of water, typically a dam\nreservoir or a lake. Floating solar is still a nascent concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe power generated from the floating solar plant can be\ntransmitted to the grid using an existing hydropower substation, saving the cost\nof separate interconnection,\u201d the World Bank says in a new report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIts benefits include reduction of evaporation in the reservoirs, which could be important in large reservoirs in hot and dry climates. World Bank\u2019s ESMAP<\/a> (Energy Sector Management Assistance Program) has been investigating opportunities for installation of floating solar equipment,\u201d it adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About 1.5 hectares of reservoir area are typically needed to\nset up a 1 MW floating solar plant, for instance. Even then, factors such as\nthe type of floats used and the distance from the shore for electrical design\naspects may alter the estimates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSolar land\ndevelopment on the vicinity of the hydropower facility (hydro-connected solar)\ncan also be considered as another option to benefit from available land, and\nexisting substations, lines, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA),\nand human resources,\u201d says the Bretton Woods institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Close proximity of solar and hydropower stations is also\nbeneficial in the sense that hydropower can act as spinning reserve for\nbalancing out fluctuations in weather-dependent solar power, acting as national\ngrid stabiliser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spinning power stations can easily be switched on and off, ramped up and down in real-time to match fluctuations in intermittent power generation like solar and wind, avoiding large-scale system interruptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n