A consortium led by Apollo Flutuantes has successfully activated a cutting-edge floating photovoltaic (PV) system on a lake in Estancia Jatobá, near Campinas, located in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. This forward-thinking project operates under Brazil's distributed generation (DG) scheme, selling surplus electricity to the local grid.
The remarkable 69° W bifacial installation is equipped with a sophisticated tracking system that dynamically adjusts its orientation from East to West, meticulously following the sun's path to optimize energy generation. The PV system relies on state-of-the-art solar modules provided by AE Solar, a testament to the project's commitment to cutting-edge technology.
CEO of Apollo, José Alves Teixeira Filho, expressed pride in the project's achievements, highlighting a surprising revelation during testing: “From the beginning, AE Solar carried out tests and discovered something that not even we knew, that the floating Apollo technology has an excellent albedo, of at least 17%.”
Moreover, this pioneering project serves as a demonstrator for Apollo's standard 7 MW system, a development that has been patented by the company. This expansive installation spans 180 meters in width and 280 meters in length, featuring an impressive 9,000 bifacial modules. The system itself boasts an impressive weight of approximately 1,200 tons when floating, with an additional 396 tons submerged for anchorage.
Despite its seemingly straightforward appearance, Teixeira Filho emphasizes the complexity of the technology, stating, “It may seem simple, just a buoy, but it's not. This ‘buoy' has to last 30 years.” The project's interdisciplinary nature demands collaboration with various partners across multiple fields.
The consortium's vision extends to offering these innovative units to hydroelectric plant operators interested in hybridizing their assets and to companies operating in the distributed generation sector. Explaining the unique advantages of floating photovoltaic installations, Teixeira Filho pointed out, “Exclusively for floating photovoltaics, it is allowed to build large plants installed, for example, with 300 MW on a lake, electrically sliced into 300 slices of up to 1 MW and negotiate this energy as distributed generation, directly with the end customer, which is prohibited for ground installations.”
He further highlighted the economic viability of floating PV projects, citing Law 14,300 in Brazil, which permits the division of generating plants into smaller units for distributed generation, as long as each unit adheres to the maximum installed power limit. Teixeira Filho revealed, “Just to give you an idea, a R$2 billion project has a payback period of less than three years.”
As hydroelectric plants explore the potential for hybridization, they are also considering transferring portions of their reservoirs for exploration by other distributed generation companies. This strategic move allows these companies to leverage economies of scale and harness the assets for distributed generation, presenting a promising opportunity for the energy sector's future.
