The Ocean Becomes A Forest. Can Photovoltaics Still Be Played Like This?

We are not satisfied with the boundless desert, photovoltaics have begun to extend their tentacles to the sea.

Before discussing "sea photovoltaics," it is important to understand a concept that has been around for a long time - " water photovoltaics ". The so-called "water photovoltaics", as the name suggests, refers to moving photovoltaic modules onto a floating body on the water surface. The setting of floating photovoltaic system is to fix all photovoltaic modules, inverters, and other power station facilities on a floating platform through anchoring systems. This new type of power station does not require occupying land resources, but instead turns to water bodies, forming complementary advantages.

Why Floating Photovoltaic Systems Are Popular?

Water photovoltaic system are divided into two categories: the fixed photovoltaic systems with pile foundation and the floating photovoltaic system. If the water depth is less than 5m, pile driving frame high installation is used, and floating installation can be used for water depths above 5m. Due to the larger ocean area, higher power generation, and less land occupation, floating power plants suitable for use at sea are currently a more widely used technology.

On a global scale, offshore photovoltaics are not new, either. As early as 2017, Ocean Energy Company led the "Zon on Zee" project 15 kilometers off the coast of the Netherlands, designing and building a floating offshore photovoltaic system with high power generation efficiency. The system only uses 5% of the North Sea of the Netherlands to meet half of the country's energy needs.

At present, many technology companies in China have also been involved in the construction of offshore photovoltaics. Among them, companies such as Jinneng Technology, Chint Power, Shandong Energy Group, Guoneng Energy, and Huaneng Group have begun to invest in the construction of offshore photovoltaic power stations along the coast of China, promoting energy technology innovation.

Based on this, China's offshore photovoltaic projects have achieved phased breakthroughs. On September 26th, the Shandong Province Pile Foundation Fixed Offshore Photovoltaic Demonstration Project Achievement Conference and Offshore Photovoltaic Technology Exchange Conference were held. China's first offshore pile foundation fixed offshore wind power demonstration data achievement was announced.

After the successful off grid power generation of the Yantai Haiyang HG34 demonstration project and the Weihai Wendeng HG32 demonstration project, led by State Power Investment Shandong Energy, the relevant empirical indicators in harsh environments exceeded expectations, marking an important breakthrough in the construction of China's offshore pile foundation fixed offshore photovoltaic projects from scratch.

In recent years, relevant policies have also been favorable for the release of offshore photovoltaic projects. In June of this year, the Ministry of Natural Resources issued a notice (draft for soliciting opinions) on promoting the three-dimensional rights establishment of sea areas. It clarified that the types of sea areas that can be three-dimensional rights such as water surface, water body, seabed, and subsoil, and encouraging the three-dimensional rights establishment of sea areas such as photovoltaic and offshore wind power.

Without any accidents, the sea will become a battleground for photovoltaic applications.