It is 10-15% more efficient for cooling water.

Seychelles plan to 2030 to cover 30% of their needed electricity through renewable energy sources. First and foremost, at the expense of floating solar power plants. They are economically more profitable than land, the construction and 10-15% more efficient in energy production due to cooling water. The construction of the first in Africa of a floating station will begin in 3 months in the lagoon of Mahe, writes hightech.plus.

The power plant in the Seychelles will consist of 13 500 solar panels, which will cover 40,000 square meters of water surface. Construction will begin in July this year in the lagoon of Mahé, the largest island of the archipelago where is the capital of Seychelles is Victoria. The power plant will be 5.8 MW.

The tender, conducted in 2018 by the government of the country, was won by a consortium consisting of the local unit of French power company Quadran International and Seychelles VetiverTech. After completion, the station will provide the needs of the archipelago by 2%. Construction will take about 6 months, that is, the station needs to be commissioned into operation at the beginning of 2021.

Now the main source of energy is diesel fuel, and only 2.5% of electricity from renewable energy sources (RES). The government wants to reduce dependence on oil and gas to 2020, the share of RES should not exceed 5%, and in 2030 — 15%.

Floating solar power plants have several advantages over ground structures — they do not occupy useful space, require no excavation for the laying of cables, and the water naturally cools the panel, preventing overheating of the photovoltaic cells. For energy production they are 10-15% more efficient than land.

Similar projects are developing and other countries — Indonesia, India, Maldives, Germany. In the Netherlands, Indiiskom reservoir, you should see 15 “Islands”, which will install a total of 73 500 panels. An additional advantage of the floating power plant will be its ability to turn after the Sun.