A solar power project designed for South Australia would see solar panels produce energy while preventing evaporation from the wastewater treatment site they are floating on top of.
Australian firm, Geits ANZ is behind the proposal and is backed by a number of already existing floating solar arrays, constructed in France, Italy and Korea by their international parent company.
Company director, Felicia Whiting says the floating concept could provide at least 50 per cent more power than a land-based solar system.
Ms Whiting recently spoke with the ABC, explaining how the mass of water has a cooling effect on the solar panels, aided by a cooling system that uses the water body to keep the plant at a constant temperature.
The system is designed from a buoyant HDP (high-density polyethylene) pipe and has a structural steel pontoon sitting abreast from it. The PV (photovoltaic) panels slot into the structural system.
According to Ms Whiting, the scheme prevents about 90 per cent water evaporation from the reservoir it covers, claiming that in a dry climate like South Australia, it could save about 2.5 metres of water evaporation depth annually.
If approved by the local council, the solar plant constructed across three basins could potentially power the entire waste treatment plant, support timber milling and even produce some excess supply to benefit the nearby Jamestown community.
Courtesy ABC
