Swedish solar energy leader Midsummer provides lightweight thinfilm solar panels to a Dutch government-funded floating photovoltaic project called Solar@Sea II.
The Dutch Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) is coordinator of the PV project, funded by the Dutch government.
The aim of the project is to develop an offshore floating PV concept based on lightweight flexible floaters and PV modules. The main deliverable of the project is the installation of a 20 kWp pilot system on the location Oostvoornse Meer
“This is a very interesting and promising project that can pave the way for larger projects in the future,” said Sven Lindström, CEO, Midsummer. “Offshore solar energy is still in its infancy but has benefits like zero shading and zero impact on inhabited environments – and important in areas where there is limited land space to use. Our ultralight solar panels are of course ideal for this type of application as the weight of the rafts can be minimized.”
Midsummer provides its thin, ultralight and flexible solar panels model BOLD-144 (MAGNUM) for the project. Each MAGNUM panels consists of 144 solar cells and measures 4×1 m, providing up to 485W per panel. 18 MAGNUM panels have been installed at the floating PV raft now commencing tests.
The project was presented to Dutch media at a press conference held by TNO last Friday. Please see images attached of Midsummer’s MAGNUM model on the floating PV rafts.
Installed on the floater, the PV modules are partly connected in series and in parallel, and then connected to a string inverter on land.
On land, there is a cabin, in which TNO has installed all equipment to collect monitoring data on the performance of the raft. Data is collected on irradiation, temperatures (on land, above and under water, PV modules), wind speed and waves.
The long term objective is to evaluate the potential for large scale floating solar energy farms at sea to provide The Netherlands with sustainable and renewable clean solar energy, using floating structures that move optimally with the waves, withstanding the forces of nature and achieving a high yield.
