Technology Inspired by Nature: Solar Lilly Pads
May 18, 2011
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.
And I thought, what does that remind me of? Answer – a lilly pad. A floating organic system that captures the energy of the sun!
Floating Energy Collector
Floating Energy Collector
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