Floating Solar Panel System Developed in Italy

Andrew Beard February 23, 2012

2 Less than a minute

</span></p> <p><a href="https://www.scintec.it/indexE.html" target="_blank">Scintec, led by executive manager, Professor Marco Rosa-Clot</a> developed the FTCC or the Floating Tracking Cooling Concentrator system. The FTCC is a floating solar panel system designed for use in natural and artificial basins and lakes. Its features include reflectors, a cooling system using water sprinklers, and a tracking system to follow the sun’s movement. These attributes combined <a href="https://www.scintec.it/ricerca/energia/SummaryFTCC2011En.pdf" target="_blank">reduce the operating cost of the FTCC by 20% compared to a ground-based solar panel systems currently in use</a> (PDF).</p> <p>The use of reflectors increases the efficiency of the solar panels reducing the demand for panels which contain toxic and difficult to recycle materials such as silicon. The life expectancy of the solar panels used significantly increased as thermal stress — the leading cause of aging in solar panels — is practically non-existent in the FTCC system.</p><div class="g g-3"><div class="g-dyn a-34 c-1"><style> @media (min-width: 350px) { .infeed { height: 90px; margin:auto; } @media (min-width: 500px) { .infeed { height: 90px; margin:auto; } } @media (min-width: 800px) { .infeed { max-width:729px; margin:auto; height: 90px; } } </style> <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script> <ins class="adsbygoogle infeed" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="fluid" data-ad-layout="image-top" data-ad-layout-key="xxxxxxxx" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4709140704829756" data-ad-slot="5264186828"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></div></div> <p>Professor Rosa-Clot said:</p> <blockquote> <p>There is no miraculous solution to the energy problem. Our project will make it possible to have a far greater number of photovoltaic installations at an ever lower cost.<em> — <a href="https://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2012/02/22/italian-engineers-develop-floating-solar-panels" target="_blank">Times live</a></em></p> </blockquote> <p>The coupling of floating solar panels with hydroelectricity offers further gains in energy production.</p> <p>The beauty of the FTCC system is that it maximises the potential energy output of an area. Fertile ground need no longer be used by solar panels and water basins and lakes are utilised.</p> <div class="g g-1"><div class="g-dyn a-34 c-1"><style> @media (min-width: 350px) { .infeed { height: 90px; margin:auto; } @media (min-width: 500px) { .infeed { height: 90px; margin:auto; } } @media (min-width: 800px) { .infeed { max-width:729px; margin:auto; height: 90px; } } </style> <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script> <ins class="adsbygoogle infeed" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="fluid" data-ad-layout="image-top" data-ad-layout-key="xxxxxxxx" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4709140704829756" data-ad-slot="5264186828"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></div></div></p> </div> <div id="post-extra-info"> <div class="theiaStickySidebar"> <div id="single-post-meta" class="post-meta clearfix"><span class="author-meta single-author with-avatars"><span class="meta-item meta-author-wrapper meta-author-409"> <span class="meta-author-avatar"> <a href="https://www.permaculturenews.org/author/andrew%20beard/"><img alt='Photo of Andrew Beard' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c1b053896782833346944bb081e6b553?s=140&d=mm&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c1b053896782833346944bb081e6b553?s=280&d=mm&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-140 photo' height='140' width='140' loading='lazy'/></a> </span> <span class="meta-author"><a href="https://www.permaculturenews.org/author/andrew%20beard/" class="author-name tie-icon" title="Andrew Beard">Andrew Beard</a></span> <a href="mailto:andrew.beard@uqconnect.edu.au" class="author-email-link" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" title="Send an email"> <span class="tie-icon-envelope" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="screen-reader-text">Send an email</span> </a> </span></span><span class="date meta-item tie-icon">February 23, 2012</span><div class="tie-alignright"><span class="meta-comment tie-icon meta-item 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href="https://www.permaculturenews.org/author/andrew%20beard/"> <img alt='Photo of Andrew Beard' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c1b053896782833346944bb081e6b553?s=180&d=mm&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c1b053896782833346944bb081e6b553?s=360&d=mm&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-180 photo' height='180' width='180' loading='lazy'/> </a> </div> <div class="author-info"> <h3 class="author-name"><a href="https://www.permaculturenews.org/author/andrew%20beard/">Andrew Beard</a></h3> <div class="author-bio"> </div> <ul class="social-icons"></ul> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> </div> <div class="prev-next-post-nav container-wrapper media-overlay"> <div class="tie-col-xs-6 prev-post"> <a href="https://www.permaculturenews.org/2012/02/23/the-howard-higgins-ecosan-and-waste-management-system/" style="background-image: url()" class="post-thumb" rel="prev"> <div class="post-thumb-overlay-wrap"> <div class="post-thumb-overlay"> <span class="tie-icon 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has-avatar"> <article id="div-comment-274403" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/073b7989d40be3dcb5981a4f0cbd5566?s=70&d=mm&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/073b7989d40be3dcb5981a4f0cbd5566?s=140&d=mm&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-70 photo' height='70' width='70' loading='lazy'/> <b class="fn">callum eho</b> <span class="says">says:</span> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://www.permaculturenews.org/2012/02/23/floating-solar-panel-system-developed-in-italy/#comment-274403"><time datetime="2012-02-28T12:12:12+11:00">February 28, 2012 at 12:12 pm</time></a> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Should be less dust and cleaning problems as well !</p> </div> <div class="reply"><a rel='nofollow' class='comment-reply-link' href='#comment-274403' data-commentid="274403" data-postid="7095" data-belowelement="div-comment-274403" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to callum eho" aria-label='Reply to callum eho'>Reply</a></div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-278020" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 has-avatar"> <article id="div-comment-278020" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/253f3726109026b6d844ee155ee07107?s=70&d=mm&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/253f3726109026b6d844ee155ee07107?s=140&d=mm&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-70 photo' height='70' width='70' loading='lazy'/> <b class="fn"><a href='https://www.Green-Change.com' rel='external nofollow ugc' class='url'>Darren (Green Change)</a></b> <span class="says">says:</span> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://www.permaculturenews.org/2012/02/23/floating-solar-panel-system-developed-in-italy/#comment-278020"><time datetime="2012-03-06T11:55:06+11:00">March 6, 2012 at 11:55 am</time></a> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Such a system could potentially reduce evaporation from dams, too.</p> </div> <div class="reply"><a rel='nofollow' class='comment-reply-link' href='#comment-278020' data-commentid="278020" data-postid="7095" data-belowelement="div-comment-278020" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Darren (Green Change)" aria-label='Reply to Darren (Green Change)'>Reply</a></div> </article> </li> </ol> </div> <div id="add-comment-block" class="container-wrapper"> <div id="respond" class="comment-respond"> <h3 id="reply-title" class="comment-reply-title the-global-title">Leave a Reply <small><a rel="nofollow" id="cancel-comment-reply-link" href="/2012/02/23/floating-solar-panel-system-developed-in-italy/#respond" style="display:none;">Cancel reply</a></small></h3><form action="https://www.permaculturenews.org/wp-comments-post.php" method="post" id="commentform" class="comment-form" novalidate><p class="comment-notes"><span 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