An open sea floating solar panels project by the University of Malta is aiming to put Malta at the forefront of research in this area.
In Malta, the scarcity of land makes it difficult to find adequate parcels of land to build large solar farms. Moreover, land prices are expensive. This makes the prospect of putting solar farms at sea attractive, the University said.
In addition to small, densely populated islands, this situation also exists in big coastal cities, where it is also often difficult to find large parcels of land within the city. Building a solar farm far in a city’s periphery adds substantial costs due to power transmission.
If floating solar farm systems are durable and able to withstand all kinds of weather, and if the cost of such systems is comparable to what it would cost to build a system on land, this would make them viable, the university said.
Moreover, putting photovoltaics on water might have some advantages. The reflection of the water surface and the cooling effect of the sea can increase the yield. A well designed system might also reduce some of the costs of equivalent land-based systems by simplifying the mounting of the panels.
Factors being studied include seaworthiness, the effect of salt drying on the panels on their output, cooling and reflection effects and corrosion
SolAqua is an innovative project that started in 2013 aimed at studying and testing the technical and financial feasibility of floating solar panels. It is led by Prof. Luciano Mulé Stagno of the University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, and its industrial partners are Pandia Energy Ltd and General Membrane Ltd. The €200,000 project is funded by the Malta Council for Science and Technology.
The project is split into three phases. The first phase, a prototype consisting of rafts with flexible panels on top of them, was tested at Salina Bay. The system was largely designed by General Membrane Ltd and makes use of their patented technology in the way the panels are attached to the raft.
In the second and third phases the project will be testing propriety designs proposed by the University of Malta. Some of these ideas are currently in the process of being patented and prototypes will be launched next year.
While there are several floating photovoltaic systems currently around the world, the one launched in Malta is possibly the first in open sea, the university said.
The power generated from the sea-based systems will be compared to a similar system on land. Factors being studied include seaworthiness, the effect of salt drying on the panels on their output, cooling and reflection effects and corrosion.
The university said the project is also performing extensive modelling on the best design and lowest cost for a floating system. Should the results prove promising, funding and partnerships to commercialise the idea will be sought.
This project is one of several research projects currently being undertaken by the institute, which is also in the process of building a state-of-the-art solar research laboratory with financial assistance from the European Regional Development Fund.
The institute also runs an MSc Sustainable Energy evening course and training courses for photo-voltaic and solar water heater installers.
www.um.edu.mt/iet