This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
The high temperature efficiency drop off of solar panels is something I've only recently become aware of, but am glad this helps with that.
Even in hotter areas, I'll bet a vertical / near vertical orientation would help them vent heat (if placed on dams there).
Does anyone have any specific experience with this kind of engineering to confirm/deny that would actually help?
I'm 100% sure the dam wall is not North-facing.
Mind you, this a great idea for a Dam facing the right way (ideally South).
Hello Petzl! Would have been pretty cool to work on that solar project.
Swis showing off their awsomeness again
Any ideas on an potential increase in ambient temperature from those dark surfaces of the panels?
Offsetting or replacing climate warming electricity generation, especially through what seems to be an increased efficiency, is great, but we're still doing the climate warming methods.
And, not a statement of "don't do this", just concerned about regions of cold and frozen environments given our present course and interested in the data.
Isn't it just the same heat energy that would have been beating down on the environment otherwise (plus some sort of reduction since the panels are converting some of it to power)
My biggest concern is that I have to assume there's a far greater initial cost for installation, in addition to higher costs for maintenance versus a more traditional farm
As someone who maintains solar installations... this looks like a goddamn nightmare to maintain. Trying to hunt down an arc fault or a loose mc4 connector on this would be impossible.
That's what I was thinking, the other commenters seem to disagree with me though
To be honest, historically and depending on the installation solar power is more useful in the summer or warmer months and dams are less useful because you're hoping the reservoir fills up and provides power all winter. The reverse is true in the winter we're damn sure produce more reliable energy but solar power is slightly less available
So to me this sounds like a fairly elegant solution where the dam will now produce large amounts of power throughout the spring and summer months as well as the fall and winter months allowing for more water to be saved up for the winter and more power generation. I'm sure the solar also helps augment the winter as well
Now get rid of the dam and restore the whole destroyed ecosystem you twats.
Poor Swiss and their pride of shitty power plants, not realizing that a water dam is the opposite of ecological power production.
