Kelseyville,
CA, USA -- Ciel & Terre USA (http://www.ciel-et-terre.net),
innovators in floating solar power systems, today announced
completion of a new 252 kW floating photovoltaic power system for the
Lake County Special Districts on behalf of Kelseyville County
Waterworks Dist. #3 in partnership with local contractor North Coast
Solar. Financed by a municipal lease, the Ciel & Terre® Hydrelio
solar power system is being floated on a man-made wastewater
treatment pond in Kelseyville and is expected to produce up to 1,650
kWh in its first year.
This
is the first public floating solar power system installed in
California. The installation itself consists of 720 floating solar
panels mounted together and delivering electrical power safely to
shore using solar optimizers provided by SolarEdge to maximize
inverter output. The municipal lease for the installation gives the
county positive cash flow starting the first year, so no cash
investment was required to pay for the system. Once the Kelseyville
solar installation proves successful, the Lake County Special
District is considering installing additional floating solar power
systems around the county.
"We
are excited to be able to take advantage of clean energy using Ciel &
Terre's floating solar systems," said Jan Coppinger, Special
Districts Administrator for Lake County. "We didn't have
available land or rooftop space suitable for this project, but our
wastewater treatment pond had enough surface area to accommodate a
sizable solar system. Floating is a great way to control algae growth
in the pond at the same time we generate virtually free energy. All
costs to provide utilities continue to increase, which forces Special
Districts to seek out and implement any means possible to reduce
future costs. This floating solar system will result in significant
savings in future years."
Floating
solar is an ideal solution for any utility district since it
generates clean energy at the same time it provides other water
conservation benefits. Floating a solar array on man-made bodies of
water improves energy production by keeping the solar system cooler.
At the same time it reduces evaporation, controls algae growth, and
reduces water movement to minimize bank erosion. It also makes
optimal use of pond surfaces, providing clean solar energy without
committing expensive real estate or requiring rooftop installations.
"Municipal
water districts, wineries, farms, and others want to adopt solar but
they don't want to commit land that could be used for other
purposes," said Eva Pauly-Bowles, Representative Director for
Ciel & Terre USA, Inc. "Installing floating solar systems
gives them ready access to green energy while helping them manage
their water resources. We expect we will see more demand for floating
solar systems, especially in light of California's commitment to
produce only carbon-free electricity by 2045."
The
Kelseyville project is only one of four floating solar power
installations being completed this summer using the patented Ciel &
Terre® Hydrelio system in Q3 2018 delivering 5.3 MW.
About
Ciel & Terre
Established
in 2006 as a renewable Independent Power Producer (IPP), Ciel &
Terre has been fully devoted to floating solar PV since 2011. The
French company pioneered Hydrelio®, the first specific and
industrialized system to make solar panels float on water, with
criteria such as cost-effectiveness, safety, longevity, resistance to
winds and waves, simplicity, drinking water compliance, and optimized
electrical yield.
Ciel
& Terre has floating solar installations in Japan, Korea, China,
UK, France, Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, Italy, Taiwan as well as the
United States. The company has its United States headquarters in
Petaluma, California.
For
more information, visit http://www.ciel-et-terre.net.
Media
Contact:
Tom
Woolf
Woolf
Media & Marketing
415.842.7398
