The New Photovoltaic Technology: The Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) Technology, The Third Pillar Of The Future Photovoltaic Market

Centralized, distributed, rooftop, agricultural and light complementary photovoltaic power generation are familiar to everyone, but these solar photovoltaic systems need to occupy a lot of land resources.

Distributed solar photovoltaic systems

Rooftop solar photovoltaic systems

With the tightening of the land policy for photovoltaic power plants, aquatic photovoltaic power plants have begun to enter the field of vision of many people.

The floating photovoltaic systems

Floating photovoltaic systems are mainly the use of ponds, small and medium-sized lakes, reservoirs, reservoirs, coal mining subsidence areas formed by the water platform to float photovoltaic modules on the water surface for power generation.

The main components of the floating photovoltaic power station are photovoltaic panels, bus boxes, inverter equipment, transformers, collector lines, polyethylene floating frame and so on.

The floating photovoltaic solutions

Floating photovoltaic (FPV) is the third pillar of the future photovoltaic market after ground power stations and rooftop photovoltaic solutions. At present, more than 60 countries are actively promoting the process of floating power plants in the world. More than 35 countries have 350 floating photovoltaic power plants. By the end of August 2020, the global cumulative installed capacity is about 2.6GW. Although this number is not comparable to the previous two types of photovoltaic power plants, it is estimated that the average growth rate of floating solar power will exceed 20% in the next five years. In this context, Asia is expected to account for two-thirds of global demand, especially with the rapid development of key markets such as China, India, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

The biggest technical challenge of floating photovoltaic solutions is a "move" and a "wet".

"Move" refers to wind and wave simulation. Because the module of floating photovoltaic power generation is on the water surface. It is different from the constant static state of conventional photovoltaic. It is necessary to carry out detailed wind and wave simulation calculations for each standard power generation unit to provide a basis for the design of the anchoring system and the floating structure, so as to ensure the safety of the floating array. Among them, the floating square array adaptive water level anchoring system uses a ground anchor pile and sheathed steel rope to connect with the edge reinforcement of the attached square array. Each square array is set at an interval of about six meters. The cable retention margin is used to ensure uniform force, safety and reliability, so as to achieve the best coupling of "dynamic" and "static".

"Wet" refers to the long-term reliability comparison of the double-glass components. N-type battery components and anti-PID conventional non-glass backplane components in the wet environment, as well as the verification of the impact on power generation and the verification of durability of floating materials, so as to ensure the safety of the floating power station design 25-year life. It provides reliable data support for subsequent projects.

The floating photovoltaic systems

Advantages:
Floating power stations can be built on a variety of water bodies on natural lakes, artificial reservoirs, coal mining subsidence areas and sewage treatment plants. As long as there is a certain amount of water that can be installed. When the floating power station encounters the latter, it can not only regenerate the "waste water" into a new power station carrier, but also maximize the self-cleaning ability to float photovoltaic. It will reduce evaporation by covering the water surface, inhibit the growth of microorganisms in the water, and thus achieve the purification of water quality.

The water photovoltaic array can reduce photosynthesis, inhibit algae growth, improve water quality and save land resources. It can avoid the restrictions of scarce land resources. At the same time, the water photovoltaic power generation project has no support foundation and cable trench excavation and no field road construction. It greatly reduces ground excavation, and it is conducive to soil and water conservation.

Compared with land resources occupied by ground power stations, water resources have lower leasing prices and construction costs. The investment payback period is significantly shortened.

Due to the cooling effect of the water on the panel, the surface temperature of the component can be suppressed, according to relevant estimates. If the temperature of the panel is reduced by 1 ° C, the power generation can be obtained 10% to 15% higher than that of the ground or roof power station in the same area. At the same time, the water surface terrain is relatively open, which can effectively avoid the restriction of shadow on the efficiency of photovoltaic modules.

After years of construction and development, the tight land resources and the impact of the surrounding environment have greatly limited the photovoltaic layout of the road surface, even if it can be expanded to a certain extent through the development of deserts and mountains. It is still a symptom and not a cure. With the development of floating photovoltaic technology, this new type of power station does not need to snatch valuable land with residents, but turns to a broader water space, and forms complementary advantages with the road surface to achieve multiple win-win results.