Solar cells floating on the sea generate electricity from waves

These hemispherical solar cells can float on the sea surface in different environments and connect into a huge mesh structure to form a large power station.

According to foreign media reports, British designers have recently proposed a green energy development plan - a mesh solar cell floating on the sea that can collect both solar energy and wave energy. The designer said that this hemispherical solar cell is expected to be completed within the next 12 months.

Phil Pauley, a British designer who designed this special renewable energy strategy called "buy one, get one free", said: "These hemispherical solar cells can float on the sea in different environments, and at the same time connect into a huge mesh structure to form a 'big power station'."

Polly, whose design company is based near London and develops interactive 3D models and visualizations for clients, presented the design idea during a brief brainstorming session. The floating solar cells he designed can be linked together to form a large network- like structure. As the buoyant boats sink and float on the water, the wave energy generated will be collected. At the same time, the water waves will also act as mirrors, reflecting sunlight to the floating solar cells, which is expected to increase the amount of solar energy collected by 20%. Polly did not provide a detailed description of the photovoltaic panels covering the hemisphere .

"Wave energy will make the hemispherical solar cells floating on the sea surface fluctuate up and down, collecting energy 24 hours a day and 7 days a week," said Polly. The collected energy will be stored until it is needed. He announced the latest design on the Internet and said that some university campuses and corporate groups are interested in the design and have begun to explore how to make this new renewable energy method better. Polly hopes that the hemispherical physical solar cells will be available in the next 12 months.

He said: "This will be a new industry with great potential!" It is reported that floating solar panels have existed for many years, including: the solar floating technology system designed by Novato, California, USA, which plans to completely cover non-circulating waters such as irrigation ponds or reservoirs with solar floating devices to collect solar energy. Palo Luckett, the executive president of the Kauai base and developer of the Pacific Light Renewable Energy Program, said that Polly's latest design combines dynamic wave energy and photovoltaic systems.

Losikt's company is engaged in hydropower, solar energy and biogas mining in Hawaii. He admires the floating solar cells designed by Polly and points out that deploying solar cells on the water has great advantages over ground solar panels, which can avoid occupying land area and reduce construction and control costs. But he also warned that the new design needs to take into account the harsh marine environment.

"Building a floating device on the sea surface first requires overcoming the rust caused by seawater. Using expensive high-end materials to build a buoy-like device is also a big challenge. Building a basic wave energy system faces greater financial risks. If there is a big storm or hurricane in the sea area, it will cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in economic losses," Losikt said.

The energy collected by solar cells on the sea surface cannot provide practical current, and energy conversion needs to be carried out nearby. Losikt hopes that Polly can further refine the implementation part of the plan with engineers. He said: "This is a very good new energy collection plan. In the future, we can use global marine resources to generate energy."