Ciel & Terre International has recently gained attention with its installation of one of the largest floating solar farms in Taiwan, marking a significant step in sustainable energy innovation. Their floating solar panels are designed to maximize energy production by utilizing water surfaces like reservoirs and lakes, thus preserving land resources.
Key features of these panels include a strong modular structure, advanced anchoring systems, and improved efficiency due to the cooling effects of water. These systems also offer additional benefits, such as reducing water evaporation, limiting algae growth, and enduring harsh environmental conditions. As the world moves towards renewable energy, Ciel & Terre’s floating solar panels provide a practical and efficient solution for harnessing solar power.
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What are the key features of Floating Solar Panels?
· Floating Platform: Solar panels are mounted on a robust, buoyant platform that floats on water surfaces such as reservoirs, lakes, or ponds.
· Modular Design: The platform features a modular design, allowing easy assembly and scalability to fit various water bodies and energy needs.
· Anchoring System: Advanced anchoring systems secure the floating platform to the water bed, ensuring stability and durability against wind and water currents.
· Cooling Effect: The water underneath the panels helps cool them naturally, increasing their efficiency and lifespan by reducing overheating.
· Energy Generation: Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity, similar to traditional solar panels, but with enhanced efficiency due to the cooling effect.
· Environmental Benefits: The system reduces water evaporation and limits algae growth by shading the water, contributing to better water quality and conservation.
· Durability: Designed to withstand harsh environmental conditions, including strong winds and waves, ensuring reliable performance over time.
· Space Efficiency: By using water surfaces, the system preserves valuable land resources for other uses, making it an efficient solution for areas with limited land availability.
Innovation behind the Floating Solar Panels
We’ve analyzed key patents related to Floating Solar Panels. Read the summary below and discover the ingenious innovations behind this breakthrough technology!
The patent TWI751411B describes a modular unit for a floating solar power plant, designed to enhance the stability and efficiency of solar panels on water surfaces like lakes or ponds. The modular units, which can be assembled into larger floating structures, include a floating mount, a solar panel, and an attachment system.
The innovation addresses issues with current systems that use parallel fitting tubes for tilt adjustment, which can lead to instability and significant bending stresses on the panels due to wind or other forces. This instability arises because the current attachment points are positioned in a way that transforms the rectangular arrangement into a parallelogram, causing the solar panel to move out of its optimal position.
By improving the attachment system, this patent aims to provide better stability and durability for floating solar panels, ensuring they remain securely in place and maintain their efficiency over time, ultimately preventing damage and improving the overall reliability of floating solar power installations.
The patent US20240190542A1 addresses issues with the maintenance of floating solar power plants, which support photovoltaic panels. Traditionally, these plants require physical maintenance corridors or waterways between rows of panels to allow operators to inspect and repair faulty panels, wiring, or fasteners.
The first type of prior art solution includes wide maintenance corridors, which take up significant space that could otherwise be used for additional solar panels, thus reducing the plant’s energy production efficiency. The second type of prior art involves spacer structures that create waterways for floating service units, which also require spacing between rows, reducing the number of panels that can be installed.
This patent aims to provide a solution that minimizes the space needed for maintenance access, thereby maximizing the surface area available for solar panels and improving the overall energy yield of the floating solar power plant.
The patent CN218229339U describes a waterproof ventilating device designed for floating structures on water, such as ships, offshore platforms, and buoys, made from materials like steel, reinforced concrete, or polymers. These floating bodies need to be waterproof to maintain buoyancy and safe operation. However, if completely sealed, they risk damage from temperature changes that cause internal pressure fluctuations, potentially leading to structural deformation.
The device includes a sealing plug with air holes covered by a waterproof breathable film, allowing air to pass while keeping water out. This setup ensures that the floating body maintains equal internal and external pressure, preventing damage from thermal expansion or contraction. The innovation thus enhances the durability and safety of floating structures by mitigating risks related to pressure changes, while being simple, cost-effective, and easy to install, particularly benefiting polymer flotation pontoons used in floating solar plants.
This patent US20180026577A1 describes an improved device for attaching solar panels, particularly those with frames, to structures like roofs or floating solar power stations. Traditional systems use metal clamps and screws to secure panels, which can be costly, time-consuming to install, and difficult to access during installation.
Additionally, these systems can cause stress on the panels due to uneven expansion between the panel and its support structure, potentially leading to damage. The invention provides a more efficient solution by using plastic components that include a fixed support and a movable retaining element with an adjustable guide system. This design allows for easy adjustment to different panel sizes, quick installation, and reduced material costs. Moreover, the device accommodates the thermal expansion of both the panel and its support, preventing stress and damage.
Overall, this invention simplifies the installation process, lowers costs, and improves the durability and safety of solar panel installations.
Floating Solar Panels from Ciel & Terre represent a groundbreaking advancement in renewable energy, offering unique benefits over competitors such as Ocean Sun, Swimsol, and Sunseap. Unlike these other products, Ciel & Terre’s panels are designed with an innovative attachment system that ensures stability and durability, even under varying environmental conditions.
This distinct design not only maximizes energy efficiency but also reduces installation and maintenance costs. The transformative potential of floating solar panels is immense, providing a sustainable solution to the global energy crisis by harnessing the vast, underutilized surfaces of water bodies. As this technology continues to evolve, it promises to play a crucial role in the transition towards a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.
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