Floating Solar Array

[spenser1058]

Bungalow posted this story of a floating solar array on a pond near the Gardenia Avenue office:

http://bungalower.com/2017/02/08/ouc-installing-floating-solar-array-february-9/

Imagine the possibilities of other local lakes we could add these to!

[veryamusing]

Love it! This retention pond is so small there are probably hundreds more that could easily accommodate something similar.

Did you see what LA County did with the black balls to prevent evaporation?

Why Did L.A. Drop 96 Million 'Shade Balls' Into Its Water?

[alex]

What are the benefits of floating an array as opposed to putting it on all those flat, empty roofs?

[metal93]

I'm not entirely sure, maybe that it can move and position itself in a way to best capture energy from the sun? But then again if it were self-propelling it would use up energy and negate some of the gains made. The article makes no mention if it will move, or will be anchored, so I wouldn't know.

Roof applications would make good use of roofs, though it'd also be nice to see solar panel arrays installed over large parking lots, as they could double as shade.

[JFW657]

I'm thinking maybe the reason for using lakes could be that they offer large surface areas?

Maybe it's a more efficient use of the technology to put the panels where large numbers of them can be placed together in a group.

And of course, with the average rooftop being quite a bit smaller than the surfaces of most lakes and ponds, I guess it makes more sense to use lakes.

I wonder if it also has anything to do with water attracting solar rays better than land or man made materials?

Some of these huge warehouse buildings in industrial parks would probably be prime rooftop spots.

[Boomer136]

Solar arrays are not lightweight, at the OCCC the area they have an array up diminishes the load carry of the roof support.

So if a building is engineered to carry that extra load, which also changes the wind dynamics of the building, that's one thing, but perhaps retro-fit is a challenge.

[UngaBungalow]

I believe it primarily had to do with use of land that could be used for other purposes. I'm interested in hearing how it affects the lakes, long-term. I know some solar arrays can raise the nearby temperatures considerably.