Harvesting the Power of the Sun
Recent years have seen the growing deployment of floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems on reservoirs and ponds overseas. As well as harvesting renewable energy from the sun, there are additional benefits from installing such systems in reservoirs, including the reduction of water evaporation, the suppression of algae growth, the saving of precious land resources, and higher solar panel power generation efficiency.
To explore the feasibility of implementation of FPV systems at impounding reservoirs, Water Supplies Department launched small-scale pilot projects at Shek Pik Reservoir and Plover Cove Reservoir. CLPe was awarded the contract for supply and installation of a floating photovoltaic system at the Plover Cove Reservoir. The system is designed for a generation capacity of 100kW and can generate as much as 120,000 units (kilowatt-hours) of electricity annually. That is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 36 average households with a reduction in carbon dioxide emission of 84 tonnes a year.
The FPV system on Plover Cove Reservoir installed by CLPe