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Comment by algo_trader | Hacker News Reader

Off topic: are there datasets for solar incidence over the oceans ?

There are plenty of accurate maps/widgets for ground based PV, but ocean data seems much rarer

That's because ocean PV is... unrealistic; the wear and tear on these things is immense. I am guessing windmills are affected less, with the blades being made out of fiberglass and most of the construction being above the waves.

Source: I made it up, I'm a software engineer not a maritime power expert.

I worked on a "floating solar" project at Google and you're completely correct.

Also, waterproofing is a nightmare, and the panels get dirty (salt, algae, bird shit) and stop producing power efficiently.

how much higher is the capex for deep sea floating structure ?

(i guess stuff like o&m, grid connection and yield are really project dependent)

edit: solar duck just announced 150mw combined pv wind project

I work in Oceanography.. The solar panels on individual buoys also get cleaned by rain, and can work ok vertically because of reflections. We have special diode bypass panels made so if 10% is covered in poop (SeaLion poop in our case) only 10% of the power is reduced.

Our biggest problem with small wind turbines on buoys is fishingpeople throwing line into them.

But yea, solar for power generation at sea is not realistic.. and you are stealing it from the tiny animals that make up our carbon sink. https://twilightzone.whoi.edu/explore-the-otz/value-of-the-o...

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