After we have surprised with the great dangers of marine wind energy, a new innovation with geometric forms of it is accused of not being as clean as it could accelerate and even accelerate the collapse of the planet, but what happened?
The controversial renewable energies
In search of energies that protect our planet, renewable energies are increasingly preventing, especially solar energy, known as a clean solution that does not cause pollution.
The most important advantage is money savings since then Solar radiation is free energy And lower the costs related to conventional systems. That is why more and more technologies want to use solar energy.
One of the most recent progress in this sector is Floating solar energyWhich means that the installation of solar panels in the water bodies. These panels usually have strange and geometric shapes that are designed to deliver maximum efficiency and beautiful aesthetics.
The danger behind panels with geometric shapes
This energy is an innovative and sustainable solution to generate electricity because it can be installed in areas that are not suitable for agriculture or urbanization.
A study published in however Environmental science and technology It has shown that this technology can have a negative influence on the environment.
To conduct their research, the scientists put photovoltaic panels on three experimental ponds. In total they covered 70% of their surface.
On the other hand, they revealed ponds as control groups for the experiment. In this way they succeeded in observing the changes and evolution of the ponds in which they had installed floating solar energy by comparing them directly with other comparable ponds without panels.
The results are shocking
The research results were surprising. Unfortunately, they discovered instead of finding environmental benefits that floating solar energy could damage the water and the water life.
Scientists saw a large increase in methane and carbon dioxide in water, causing emissions to rise 27% in ponds with solar panels.
They also saw that the oxygen levels fall a lot, which can influence marine organisms and change essential biological activities such as decomposition and microbial functions. Really shocking!
Steven GrodskyProfessor, leader of the Cooperative Research Unit of Fish and Wildlife of New York at the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, explained the following:
«This is the first study that yields empirical results. This is what really happens. And what we discovered was that there was an increase in the emissions of greenhouse gas ponds with floating solar energy ».
«If floating solar panels are drastically installed, the availability of oxygen for organisms is reduced, the ecological processes are changed, the way in which decomposition occurs, the microbes, the way in which the wind moves through the surface of the water. Everything is connected ».
Not everything is lost
Although the results are shocking, if we measure the emissions of greenhouse gases for each kilowatt hour, floating solar energy is less harmful than fossil fuels.
Grodsky explained that “We must be aware of what is happening to adapt, perhaps place the panels differently or design the panels differently or change the coverage percentage.”
This means that not everything is lost, because if we find innovative ways to work with these panels, we can reduce the effects, so we should not lose hope!
As we can see, these discoveries are super important for the energy transition, because many floating solar energy facilities are performed in small lakes and ponds without taking into account how they influence the ecosystem.
In conclusion, floating solar energy is a renewable energy source with major benefits, but just like this controversial plan of China, it is major challenges that must be approached correctly.