2023-08-27 05:34:14
Photovoltaic systems can now be found in many places: on roofs, on facades or in open spaces. In order to use solar power optimally, the forms of application are becoming more and more innovative: integrated into buildings or traffic, free-standing or even floating. The first floating PV system in Styria was set up on a gravel pond south of Graz in Fernitz-Mellach. The operator spoke to APA regarding the system and sustainable management.
Around 1,500 photovoltaic panels (PV panels) float on the roughly two-and-a-half-hectare gravel pond in the district of Graz-Umwelt, taking up less than ten percent of the water surface. The panels float on the pond in six rows without fixed attachment points – i.e. in constant motion. To protect them from collisions, they are encased in a wooden frame and can be remote-controlled if necessary. The panels are supported by around 3,000 polyethylene drums that are normally used in the food industry. It is “nothing other than a big boat,” explained the developer and operator of the facility, Heimo Ecker-Eckhofen.
The idea for this came up a few years ago in order to cover the energy needs of his group of companies, which is active in the areas of raw material recycling and renewable energy, among other things. Then came the point at which the construction became “economically justifiable”, according to Ecker-Eckhofen. For the electrical engineer and lawyer, who has already implemented projects in the areas of small hydropower plants, photovoltaics and wind power plants, “sustainable management” is of great importance. With his work he would like to “make a contribution to securing an environment worth living in”.
Embedded in this sustainable living concept, the floating PV system produces between 700,000 and 800,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. Around 200,000 kilowatt hours are needed at the Fernitz-Mellach site for their own needs. The remaining electricity is fed into the public grid, which means that around 200 additional households can be supplied with energy each year.
The approximately 2,400 square meter facility has been in operation since mid-February. The construction took regarding six weeks. Compared to conventional PV systems, the overall effort is very high: In addition to the development of the system and the more complex installation, permits are required. The floats were also relatively expensive – the system cost a total of around one million euros, according to the operator.
In order for a floating PV system to be profitable, there must also be a certain level of profitability, which means it needs a grid connection “in a useful vicinity” and a suitable body of water where any conflicts of use can be clarified. Nevertheless, Ecker-Eckhofen sees “not inconsiderable potential” in floating PV systems as a contribution to the energy transition. Apart from this facility in Fernitz, he does not know of any other facility in Styria. A spokesman from the office of the Environment Councilor Ursula Lackner (SPÖ) also confirmed that they are not aware of any other such project in the state. Meanwhile, the largest floating PV system in Central Europe is located in Grafenwörth, Lower Austria.
The scientific community sees floating PV systems as a “niche topic in Austria”. These systems will “probably only be used in a few places” because “natural bodies of water are usually excluded by the nature conservation authorities,” explained Hubert Fechner, chairman of the photovoltaic Austria technology platform. In principle, however, he welcomes the fact that – in addition to conventional PV systems – other PV applications are also increasingly being implemented, since “we have to use all suitable potential”.
Johannes Schmidt from the Institute for Sustainable Economic Development at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna (BOKU) was also skeptical: “In my opinion, the economic potential – apart from special cases – is low because the costs of alternative solutions are significantly lower”. However, floating PV systems can reduce water evaporation and algae growth. Higher electricity production is also possible because the panels are cooled by the water. In addition to the high costs, however, he sees further disadvantages due to possible effects on the water ecology as well as impairments in performance due to bird droppings, waves and non-optimal inclination.
Daniel Huppmann from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) also doubted the potential of floating PV systems compared to other forms of renewable energy: “There may be some water areas in Austria that are technically suitable for floating PV. But: The states and municipalities are currently actively preventing wind energy expansion and there is no requirement for PV roofing on newly built parking lots, let alone mandatory retrofitting on existing parking lots Compared to these potentials, floating PV is just a drop in the increasingly hot becoming stone.”
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