A mass of solar panels floating in the calm seas near the equator could provide unlimited amounts of solar energy to the densely populated countries of Southeast Asia and West Africa.
A new study suggests that offshore solar power in Indonesia could produce about 35,000 terawatt-hours (TWh) of solar energy per year, which is similar to the current annual electricity generation of 30,000 TWh.
Although most of the oceans are stormy, the equatorial parts are relatively calm and peaceful. Therefore, relatively inexpensive engineered structures can be sufficient to protect floating solar panels.
Our high-resolution heat map shows that the Indonesian archipelago near Nigeria and equatorial West Africa have the greatest potential for offshore floating solar arrays.
In the middle of the cycle, solar energy dominates
According to current trends, by 2050 the world economy will be decarbonized and electrified mainly by solar and wind energy.
About 70 square kilometers of solar panels could meet all the energy needs of one million wealthy people in a carbon-free economy. The panels can be floated on roofs, arid areas, agriculture or water bodies.
But densely populated countries like Nigeria and Indonesia will have limited space to collect solar energy.
Their warm location also means that they are located in latitudes where wind resources are scarce. Fortunately, these countries and their neighbors can effectively generate unlimited energy from solar arrays floating in calm equatorial seas.
Floating solar panels can be placed on inland lakes and reservoirs. Indoor solar panels have great potential and are already developing rapidly.
A recent paper examines the world's oceans to find regions without large waves or strong winds in the last 40 years. In these regions, floating solar panels do not need strong and expensive technical protection.
Regions with waves no higher than 6 meters or winds no higher than 15 meters per second can produce one million TWh per year. That's five times the annual energy required for a completely carbon-free global economy to support 10 billion wealthy people.
Most of the best places are in Indonesia and West Africa and are located in the equatorial region. These are regions with high population growth and high environmental value. Solar panels on land help resolve land use conflicts.
Indonesia has great potential for solar energy.
Indonesia is a country with a high population density, especially on the islands of Java, Bali and Sumatra. By the middle of the century, Indonesia's population may exceed 315 million.
Fortunately, Indonesia has a lot of potential for solar energy, as well as pumped hydroelectric plants that can store solar energy overnight.
The wealthy country of Indonesia needs 25,000 square kilometers of solar panels after fully exhausting its solar energy economy.
Indonesia has the potential to deploy large numbers of solar panels in calm inland seas. The range is about 140,000 km, which means that there have been no waves of more than 4 meters - or winds of 10 meters per second - in the last 40 years.
Indonesia's 6.4 million square kilometers of sea area is more than 200 times larger than all of Indonesia's future energy needs could be met by floating marine solar panels.
The future of sunbathing at sea
Most beaches in the world are exposed to waves higher than 10 meters and winds of more than 20 meters per second. Several companies are working on engineering protection for offshore floating panels that can withstand hurricanes. In contrast, favorable sea areas along the equator require stronger and more expensive protection.
We collected the most suitable regions between 5 and 12 degrees latitude, mainly in the Indonesian archipelago and the Gulf of Guinea near Nigeria. These regions have low wind power, high population density, rapid growth (both in population and energy consumption), and very, very valuable ecosystems that don't need clearing for solar farms. Tropical cyclones sometimes hit equatorial regions.
The floating solar industry is in its infancy. Marine solar panels have disadvantages compared to offshore panels, including salt corrosion and marine pollution. Shallow water is chosen for anchoring the panels to the seabed. Special attention should be paid to reducing damage to the marine environment and fisheries. Global warming can change the nature of wind and waves.
Despite these challenges, we believe that offshore floating panels will be an important part of the energy mix for countries with access to calm equatorial seas. By mid-century, nearly a billion people in these countries will use primarily solar energy, leading to the fastest energy transition in history.
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Citation : 'Limitless' Energy: How Solar Panels Floating Near the Equator Could Power Future Human Settlements (August 4, 2023). Retrieved August 5, 2023, from https://techxplore.com/news/2023-08-limitless-energy. solar panels-ecuador.html
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