nrg island - floating pv plants
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NRG ISLAND - Floating PV Plants
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"NRG ISLAND" is a patented system designed tomaximize electricity generation by using floatingphotovoltaic panels installed on any waterbasins.
Production of the floating photovoltaic systemcan increase from 10% to 20% compared to asimilarly grounded plant, thanks to its proximity towater’s surface and to the reflected light whichreaches the solar photovoltaic panels.
NRG ISLAND System is modular and replicable inwidth and length so you can achieve the desired
power.
The floating system is rigid and stable: the floatsprovide support for the structures and panels andprovide a floor plan for ordinary inspection andmaintenance operations
NRG ISLAND is the innovative system for installing photovoltaic systems on water
FLOATING SOLAR SYSTEMS born as an alternative solution to large plants on the ground, avoiding to exploit agricultural land for the production of energy.
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The scarcity of adequate land surfaces for the development of photovoltaic projects, the times of plant construction, the regulatory constraints and the
cost of land for agricultural use limited installation of photovoltaic solar systems over time.
Instead everywhere there is a great deal of available artificial or natural water basins used for industrial or irrigation purposes and generally for water
supply. Producing solar energy from basins allows you to benefit from an environmental, social and economic point of view.
The reasons for choosing Floating Photovoltaic
TradiTional
STANDARD PV PLANT VS FLOATING PV PLANT
Floating
• Necessity of extensive land
• Purchase or leasing of land
• Limited installation conditions
(eg shading)
• Reduced efficiency due to
high ground temperatures
• Environmental pollution
• Deforestation
• Using inactive spaces
• Retraining of disused spaces
(quarries, reservoirs, etc.)
• Favorable installation
conditions (eg shading
prevention)
• Increased efficiency thanks
to:
Refractive use
Cooling of panels
• Echo system protection
Thanks to its modularity and ease
of installation, floating systems
can be easily installed in:
Industrial water systems
Cave / mine lakes
Irrigation tanks
Desalination plants
Digestive / Canal
Aquaculture Surfaces
Water treatment plants
Fish Farms
FLOATING PV PLANT’S APPLICATIONS
Environmental Benefits• Zero environmental impact
• Minimizes the evaporation
phenomenon
• Preserve the existing ecosystem
• Reduces algae flowering
• Redevelopment of disused water
basins
Social Benefits• Recovers contaminated areas by
generating clean energy
• Plots intended for agricultural or
other uses are not exploited
Economic Benefits• Converts unused basins to
profitable areas
• Increases efficiency and power
generation
• Reduces connection costs to
electricity distribution centers
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Benefits in detail: higher performance than a traditional plant
The first important benefit comes from refraction of water. The water's ability to reflect and amplify sunlight allows the plant to capture more light and
generate more energy. Not only that: aquatic installations allow solar panels to work at lower temperatures, avoiding overheating of cells. However
overheating of panels in ground installations results in significant performance drops despite optimum levels of irradiation. Indeed, each photovoltaic
panel has an optimum operating temperature of between 20 and 25 degrees, with increasing temperature decreasing the cell performance.
Finally, even in winter, in the morning, despite the low temperatures, thanks to the water-reducing effect, the panels are defrosted 1 hour earlier than the
traditional ones; this is an early start of production.
35° tilt of panels
Orientation of
the panels 0°
5° tilt of panels
Orientation of
the panels 0° Comparing the yields of the two types of plants during the year and
taking into account the variations in temperature, the floating plant
overall has an increase of + 10% / 20% of annual production.
- Year-on-year performance plants’ comparison -
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Benefits in detail: Reduction of water evaporation
By covering a significant surface on a reservoir, the system reduces evaporation while the shading resulting from its panels limits the growth of algae. In
addition, the system does not constitute dangers to wildlife and surrounding habitat, as it does not release waste or substances of any kind.
Empirical studies on some of the installed systems showed a reduction in evaporation of
about 500 liters / m² / year, corresponding to a reduction of about 80% of normal
evaporation in the absence of implants. From these studies we can see that on the surface
covered by the plant evaporation is reduced by the action of two fundamental factors:
• Eliminating the wind component, which allows for a 50% reduction;
• The shade of the aquatic surface, guaranteed by the photovoltaic modules, allows a
reduction of 30%.
The total volume of saved water will depend by covered surface, which for a floating
photovoltaic plant is estimated to be about 11,000 square meters for each photovoltaic
MWp.
This means saving 5.5 million liters of water per year, or 5.500 Mc / year per MWp of a
photovoltaic field.
A practical application example:
Over the past 10 years California has been subjected to an unprecedented
Water Crisis. In 2015 to try to stem the significant water loss in the city's reservoirs
basins and water reserves, 96 million plastic balls (HDPEs) were used to cover the
Los Angeles basins, blocking the sunlight and avoiding water evaporation.
All this is designed to save about 300 million liters of water every year.
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The floats provide support frames, engaging with them to form a rigid and stable
system, allowing operators to walk on every row of floats even with trolleys or
equipment in order to allow proper monitoring and maintenance of the
photovoltaic system.
Another advantage is the ability to allow operators to easily orient the panels to
sunlight and to create a "tracking" system that can maximize overall plant
productivity.
Benefits in detail: ease of installation and maintenance
NRG ISLAND system is modular. Easy to assemble, it is mounted directly on the shore of the water basin. Floating modules are made of high density
polyethylene, (HDPE) joined together by special connectors and aluminum or stainless steel structures that also support photovoltaic panels.
Each module consists of 4 floats and 1 aluminum or stainless steel frame
supporting 4 photovoltaic panels.
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Locations and contacts:
Imola (BO) - Via I° Maggio 70/b, 40026+39 0542 55201 - mob. +39 340 6009639
Camaiore (LU) - Via dei Carpentieri n.41, 55041+39 0584 1840115 - mob. +39 349 6950184
www.nrgisland.com