Florida's Solar Potential

[Jason M. Hendler]

One thing that frustrates me is the ignorance many show regarding Florida's solar potential. While it is true that humidity refracts sunlight, that doesn't mean solar power is reduced for all solar techs. Solar techs that require direct sunlight like glass panels and concentrated solar will suffer, because diffuse light is not absorbed. Thin film panels and solar thermal systems which absorb light and heat from all directions do just fine.

[swimdad623]

I'd be surprised at anyone thinking that Florida has less-than-excellent solar potential. I can think of a lot of instances where even a New Jersey native such as myself thinks Florida would be an idea location for PV-based solar power:

-- The load curve likely varies directly with the sunlight levels. The hot sunny days are when the most air conditioning is needed, and that's the same time when the most solar electricity would be generated.

-- Clouds are generally localized. Up here in the northeast, a solar-blocking cloud front is hundreds of miles long and wide, and can block the sun for a week at a time. My impression of Florida is that the clouds are localized, so you wouldn't have a state-wide power shortage caused by clouds.

-- Because of the more-southern latitudes, the sun is 'higher' in the sky. This means that solar panels could lie flatter on buildings, reducing the installation cost and minimizing wind effects.

-- Occasional rainstorms would clean the panels. Cleaning the panels is a PV panel maintenance item. An occasional Florida rainstorm would reduce the maintenance costs.

-- Existing construction is newer, and with flatter roofs. This is a big deal. Since the population wave to Florida was more recent than in the northeast, the average building is newer, likely uses more modern construction techniques that would support the additional panel load, and wouldn't need to go through the "historic preservation" review that stops the installation of a lot of the solar panels in the northeast. Even better, without the snow load of the northeast, there are more flat-roofed buildings, which means that the building doesn't need to be oriented to the sun. That means there are many more buildings that would support PV panels.

Add it up, and I'll bet that a solar watt in Florida costs less than half as much as the same solar watt here in New Jersey.

[pdt]

One thing that frustrates me is the ignorance many show regarding Florida's solar potential. While it is true that humidity refracts sunlight, that doesn't mean solar power is reduced for all solar techs. Solar techs that require direct sunlight like glass panels and concentrated solar will suffer, because diffuse light is not absorbed. Thin film panels and solar thermal systems which absorb light and heat from all directions do just fine.

Glass panels? Most solar panels, even thin-film panels such as those from First Solar use glass.

[misslexi]

Lightweight, large panels: let's see, hurricanes maybe? Those could really make the investment "take off"

[hermperez]

Every locality has codes for hurricanes, the panels would have to be designed for it.

[misslexi]

Every locality has codes for hurricanes, the panels would have to be designed for it.

I survived one hurricane may years ago, very frightening experience. An issue I see for solar panels and hurricanes are the normally terra-bound objects that take flight; I suppose they could install plywood panels to protect them.

[hermperez]

hardened glass is very tough, you may be better of with a lot of smaller panels vs one huge panel. I dont want acrylic.

How are solar panels connected?.. series, parallel? what happens if one panel is shaded?

[Jason M. Hendler]

Glass panels? Most solar panels, even thin-film panels such as those from First Solar use glass.

Yes, but silicon panels are drastically effected by angle of incidence, whereas thin film panels and many solar thermal systems are not.

[hermperez]

How is a thin film solar cell different from a silicon solar cell? they both will be affected the say by solar incidence angle.

Solar thermal are usually active tracking systems, it wont be affected by the incidence angle.

[wtiger]

Silicon panels produce almost nothing if shaded or more than a few degrees off. All thin films I've read about still produce significant portions of their rated power at much greater angles and from diffuse light from shading. Either from clouds or from trees and other objects. This is why CIGS and other thin film panels can be flat mounted with little degradation in their power output.