It was reported by “U.S. Global News” that Windsor, California, USA will build its largest floating solar power system. The scale of the project is 1.78MW. The floating solar system will be installed on the largest water reservoir in the town, which is expected to meet 90% of the town’s water treatment and pump facilities’ energy needs. The array will float atop in the pond and be tied to the shore, making itself resistant to wind and earthquake loads.
Risen Energy Co, Ltd (hereinafter referred to as “Risen Energy”) supplies all modules for this project, and the product specification is 360W mono-crystalline module. The 1.78MW system will generate electricity for Windsor Wastewater Reclamation Facility, Public Works Corporation Yard, and the Geysers pump station, providing approximately 90% of the electricity demand for water recovery facilities, in the meanwhile saving approximately 30% of electricity costs based on the facility’s existing grid services.
Risen Energy said, “This project is our first floating solar project in the United States, and we are also honored to be part of the landmark and largest floating photovoltaic system project in the region. This time, we cooperated with local installers, structure suppliers, electrical companies, etc. to achieve industry-leading photovoltaic system design, and provide services for local project construction together.
This floating solar project has entered into a 25-year lease and power purchase agreement (PPA) with Windsor to provide discounted clean energy. The solar system will allow Windsor to better control its electricity costs amidst the rising utility price. Through the PPA, the town can significantly reduce energy costs without making any investment, and floating solar is becoming an attractive alternative to energy for municipalities seeking to reduce operating costs and save valuable land for other developments.
Toni Betolero, Director of Public Works at Windsor Town, commented “Our water recycling and company yard facilities currently account for 40% of the town’s greenhouse gas emissions. Installing this new type of offshore floating solar array will reduce our dependence on energy pollution sources by approximately 350 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, which is an important step towards achieving our climate action plan reduction targets. Floating solar projects will cover only 22% of the available surface area of the pond. It will not affect the biology of the pond, and will reduce water loss caused by evaporation and inhibit algae growth.”
Risen Energy, as a leader and pioneer in the global photovoltaic industry, has always maintained its leading market insights on emerging markets and the development of new markets. They s opined that surface photovoltaic power plant systems are one of the potential forms of future power plants. According to relevant analysis, water-floating photovoltaic power stations will be widely developed and applied worldwide. In all regions of the world, there is a total of more than 300GW of floating power station potential, and the target of 10GW installed capacity in the next two years.
