Energy Magazine April 2022 | Page 99

RENEWABLES

T I N G

WIND AND SOLAR

WRITTEN BY : DOMINIC ELLIS

Storm Eunice is battering houses across the UK and despite the ominous skies , the sun is peeping through . With red warnings in place , it ’ s not the most pleasant of days but it ’ s a reminder of the forces of natural energy in these renewable-focused times . At one point , wind power generated 42 % of the UK ’ s entire electricity .

After COP26 , the renewables momentum is hitting top gear . Such is the breadth of activity in the sector we are now seeing the emergence of significant sub-sectors , such as floating wind and solar . Floating solar panels or floating photovoltaics ( FPV ), also known as ‘ floatovoltaics ’, are solar panels that are mounted on a structure floating on a water body , typically a lake or a reservoir .
FVPs float on water , using an embedded solar tracker to follow the sun ' s movements to enable the solar panel to be positioned in such a way that the time of sunlight exposure is increased and the efficiency of the FVP system is enhanced .
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