Solar power station hidden on isolated island

Can solar power help people living on remote islands?

"Those people who don't have electricity are living on remote islands, so in this situation it's hard to connect a cable to them and it's hard to install other expensive solutions such as wind turbines," says Luofeng Huang, a lecturer in mechanical engineering at Cranfield University. Solar power is one option to provide those islands with energy.

Could distributed energy resources boost the deployment of renewables on islands?

Distributed energy resources – or small-scale energy resources that are usually situated near sites of electricity use, such as rooftop solar – could play an important role in boosting the deployment of renewables on islands, increasing the security, resilience and affordability of power systems while accelerating decarbonisation.

Can solar panels reduce wave height in the Indian Ocean?

With academic and commercial partners in Indonesia, they hope to have a demonstration system in the Indian Ocean in 12 months time. Called Solar2Wave, it will have a floating breakwater upstream of the solar panels which, Mr Huang says, has the effect of reducing wave height by about 90%.

Why do small islands need a new energy infrastructure?

Islands – including those that make up the group known as Small Island Developing States (SIDS) – also need to upgrade their energy infrastructure so that it is resilient to higher temperatures, more frequent natural disasters and flooding related to rising sea levels.

Do remote areas need electrification in Vietnam?

In Vietnam, due to the obstruction of the mountainous terrain or the isolated island location, many remote areas or islands need electrification. A simple case study of a hybrid system with a 60 kW peak load demand on Con Dao island in Vietnam is used to illustrate the proposed design method.

Can solar panels be installed on the ocean surface?

So scientists and engineers are working on ways to install solar panels on the ocean surface, providing power to those living onshore nearby. "Floating solar is very convenient because it can just be put on top of the water, and if you need more electricity you can put on more solar panels," says Mr Huang.