Solar Power at Sea (Infographic)

S OLA R PO W ER AT SEA When it comes to collecting the sun's rays, we've placed solar panels almost everywhere - on rooftops, open farmland, and even on moving vehicles - and now we're trying to take solar out to sea. Floating solar panels on the ocean could have a huge impact across the world; but of course, the salty sea comes with its own set of challenges. The Story of Solar and Water The first-ever floating solar panels are set up on an irrigation pond at a 2008 California winery. The "Suntech-Gusosheng Solarsailor" ferry uses photovoltaic (solar-powered) “sails" to carry passengers around the Huangpu River in Shanghai. 2010 The "TÜRANOR PlanetSolar" becomes the 2012 first boat to sail around the world using only solar power. Kyocera builds a floating solar power plant on the Yamakura Dam reservoir in Japan. 2014 SolAqua in Malta is working on a project to research and test the TODAY feasibility of a solar farm at sea. Benefits of Using Solar Power on the Ocean Oceans cover 70% of earth's surface, which would provide solar power opportunities for countries with limited land area. Solar farms on the ocean would leave more precious acres of land available for farming and other useful purposes. Solar panels would convert energy more efficiently on the ocean, because bodies of water stay at cooler temperatures than solid land. Floating solar panels cast shade over the water they sit on, reducing evaporation and slowing algae growth. Challenges of Taking Solar Power to the Sea %24 Salt water can potentially corrode the solar panels, damaging their ability to We are still testing the sea-worthiness of these floating panels, to convert energy. determine whether they can withstand the fluctuations of Research is still being done to the ocean. see whether salt We don't know yet how expensive these ocean solar plants would be to maintain. that dries onto the panels (from the salty seawater) will affect their functionality. Brought To You By | Solar Tech SOLARTECH Sources: http://www.boem.gov/Renewable-Energy-Program/Renewable-Energy-Guide/Offshore-Solar-Energy.aspx http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovations/Is Japans-Offshore-Solar-Power Plant-the-Future-of-Renewable-Energy-180 949453/7no-ist http://www.gizmag.com/turanor planetsolar solar powered-boat-completes trip/22421/ http://www.gizmag.com/solar-sailing-shanghai/15475/ http://cleantechnica.com/2015/04/20/floating-solar-takes-open-sea/ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2015/0/50116-floating-solar power-japan-yamakura/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaic_system#Floatovoltaics http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Winery-goes solar-with-Floatovoltaics-3282171.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_vehicle