Solar power is now the cheapest source of electricity in history, according to a 2020 report. But there's something holding this clean energy powerhouse back： Space. Unlike fossil fuel power stations, solar farms need a lot of room. While conventional solar farms sometimes attract controversy (争论) due to the amount of land they use, floating solar farms occupy much less valuable space above bodies of water.
“As demand for land increases, water bodies are increasingly being targeted for renewable energy. Deployment (部署) of solar on water increases electricity production. said Giles Exley, PhD researcher and lead author from Lancaster University. The research team set about computer modelling using the MyLake simulation programme and data collected by the UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology from England's largest lake, Windermere.
Their results show that floating solar arrays (阵列）can cool water temperatures by shading the water from the sun. At scale, this could help to mitigate against harmful effects caused by global warming. However, some complex conditions can result in the bottom layer of water becoming deoxygenated (脱氧的) and makes water quality worse-if floating solar farms are stationed.
“Floating solar could help to reduce the negative effects of global warming which will influence on these bodies of water,”Exley said. "However, there are also real risks of disadvantageous impacts, such as deoxygenation causing undesirable increases in nutrient concentrations and killing fish. We need to do more researches to understand the possibility of both positive and negative impacts. "
The larger the solar installation (安装设备), the greater the effect on water temperature increases. Further studies will be needed to determine the suitable size array and design and their effects for individual lakes and artificial lakes.
