NanoHaven technology selected for SBIR Phase 1 innovation award

6/29/2021

We are pleased to announce that FII has been selected for a Dept. of Energy SETO Phase One SBIR grant award. The grant’s purpose is to develop and test a technology that will oxygenate nutrient-impaired water in off-grid settings.

Gas bubbles are released from the bottom of a pond when a snorkeler, whose hand is in the picture, disturbs the muck at the bottom

Gases released from the sediments may include methane when the water is impaired to the point of being starved of oxygen

FII conceptualized the “NanoHaven” embodiment that will meet this goal and will develop and test it with the support of this pending award from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. Note that nutrient impaired water is a major source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that oxygenation will prevent, so a key component of our commercialization of this system will be related to climate change impact.

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Get Smart About Floating PhotoVoltaics

4/19/2021

11 Comments

In a confused floating solar market, BioHavens offer a ray of hope for water quality that makes floating solar feasible and sustainable

Today the nascent FPV (Floating PhotoVoltaics) market is confused. As China surges ahead, as France leverages the aggressive marketing efforts of Ciel et Terre (a provider of FPV), in the U.S., remarkable opportunities to develop sustainable solar projects are being missed. Italy has actually banned development of floating solar on reservoirs…truly a remarkable and confusing policy in light of the negative impact on alternative energy development by serious players like ENEL. Especially today when there is an emerging floating solar platform option that will enhance water quality.

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Korea's Graceful FPV Project at Hapcheong could be a model for US

3/10/2021

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Aesthetics and Floating Solar combine in ecological engineering success.

Q Cells plum blossom FPV arrays bring solar to a new level

Floating solar installation in South Korea gracefully portrays the plum blossom. Photo: Q CELLS

South Korea’s Q Cells is a world leader in the alternative energy field. They are to be acknowledged for the graceful and biomimetic Floating PhotoVoltaics (FPV) design currently under construction on Hapcheong reservoir in South Korea. The design is inspired by the plum blossom—the symbolic flower of the region! The project exceeds local energy demand and demonstrates several principals of solid ecological engineering.

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Increase longevity of FPV panels — then, plan for their disposition

12/24/2020

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I applaud movement by NREL to track the disposition of some 800 million metric tons (currently) of solar panels as they near end-of-life. NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) is leading research around floating photovoltaic (FPV) development in North America. Part of this is taking a realistic look at the longevity of FPV. The panels include valuable forms of silica and other precious materials that represent recycling opportunities associated with their 30-year design life.

Recent movement towards floating photovoltaic installations makes development of effective solar recycling policy particularly critical. Also, assuring the longevity of FPV. We can’t have potentially toxic materials contaminating precious waterways, particularly hydroelectric reservoirs that are frequently used as drinking water sources.

Floating Island International (FII) currently targets a sixty-year design life of its floating treatment wetland modules, BioHavens, some 9,000 of which have been launched since 2005. Our movement towards an extended usable life of our proprietary floating islands primarily used to increase natural wetland effect associated with improved water quality, may facilitate useful life extension for solar panels as well. Longevity of FPV could be extended by including our BioHaven technology in the design plan.