| | There’s a lot to like about floating solar farms: They don’t use up land; they’re up to 16% more efficient than their land-based counterparts; and when installed on hydroelectric dams, they help limit evaporation, saving more water for hydropower. But they have one dirty secret: they’re floating on thousands of hollow modules made of virgin plastic, which requires natural gas or crude oil to produce.
A new farm in Portugal, however, is setting a new benchmark with a greener alternative: floaters made from recycled plastic and cork. The exact formula remains a secret, but the new composite material has reduced the farm’s carbon footprint by 30%. Find out more in my story here.
— Elissaveta M. Brandon | | | | | |