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High-altitude floating PV has energy payback time of 2.8 years (pv-magazine.com)
8 points by thelastgallon 10 months ago | hide | past | favorite | 4 comments



Article is about solar cells floating on lakes, which are high up in the mountains. Not ultra-high-altitude balloon solar, nor some new tech based on Perovskite, nor ...

> New research from Switzerland showed that alpine floating PV systems...

Good for the Swiss. For most countries, suitable locations will be minimal to non-existent.


"An international group of researchers has calculated the potential for floating solar across the world. The results show a generation potential of 9,434 TWh per year across 114,555 global reservoirs, with 30% of their area covered. The United States leads with 1,911 TWh per year of potential, followed by China at 1,107 TWh per year and Brazil at 865 TWh per year. [1]"

Studies:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-023-01089-6

https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-024-00251-4

https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9941/3/3/23

[1] https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/03/21/global-study-highligh...


The article is about high-altitude (aka alpine) floating solar.

Your cite is about floating solar without regard to altitude.

Large areas of open water are vastly scarcer at higher altitudes.





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