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Clearwater advisory board hears floating-solar briefing as city weighs solar projects and federal grant uncertainty
Summary
D3 Energy told Clearwater's Environmental Advisory Board about floating photovoltaic technology, potential municipal applications and environmental effects. City staff later warned that federal Department of Energy executive orders have put several local energy grants and directed spending awards on hold.
Stetson Chubidjian, managing director for D3 Energy, gave a technical briefing on floating photovoltaic (PV) systems to the City of Clearwater Environmental Advisory Board on Feb. 19 and described the technology's use on inland stormwater and retention ponds.
Chubidjian said floating arrays use the same panels and electrical equipment as rooftop or ground-mounted solar but are racked on high-density polyethylene floats. "They're all built on shore, and then kind of built row by row, and fed out into the water," he said, adding that the systems can be anchored to withstand wind and varying water levels and that, in tests, some floating arrays showed a 5 to 15 percent increase in energy production because the panels stay cooler over water.
The presentation addressed common environmental and operational questions. Chubidjian cited a white paper and site monitoring done on projects in Florida and California and said researchers found "minimal adverse…
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