Design of Floating Solar Power System for a Local Community Application with Sample Prototype for a Single Panel

Abstract

Global warming has been one of the world's most significant issues for many years. Efforts to reduce global warming led researchers to renewable energy, particularly in solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. However, these systems face some disadvantages, such as the availability of land for installation due to the rapid population growth, and PV modules tend to heat up above ground, lowering their efficiency. To solve these problems, a floating solar power system is introduced to a local community at Jabonga, Agusan del Norte, Philippines. The study concentrates on the 3kW system design parameters and creates a prototype sample using a single 100W PV panel. Upon testing the prototype, the researchers concluded that the system is possible to implement in a community to address surging energy demand. Moreover, based on the results of the data gathered, the floating system generated an average power of 43.844 W while the land-based system has only 37.717 W. Thus, a single 100 W floating solar PV installation increases the generated power output to 6.127 W.