Solar finding a home on water
Rick Way - June 6th, 2011
In northern California, solar is beginning to show up on small bodies of water where land values are at a premium. Wine country is using all available space to go green. Read the full article here.
PETALUMA, Calif. — Solar panels have sprouted on countless rooftops, carports and fields in Northern California. Now, several start-up companies see potential for solar panels that float on water.
Already, 144 solar panels sit atop pontoons moored on a three-acre irrigation pond surrounded by vineyards in Petaluma in Sonoma County. Some 35 miles to the north, in the heart of the Napa Valley, another array of 994 solar panels covers the surface of a pond at the Far Niente Winery.
DC energy created by the PV panels runs into the inverter and creats an alternating current (AC). Then AC current is metered prior to heading back into the grid.
This chart shows Philadelphia averages 1600 kW-yr.
