Isifloating 5.0 By Isigenere

Isigenere had developed its Isifloating FPV system already in 2008, and has been optimizing the design ever since. Isifloating 5.0 is a modular and flexible system of covered floating photovoltaic units with the main component being a patented nestable modular float, which forms a closed building structure, when the solar module is fixed on the top side. The system has different floats to support the solar panels and others for maintenance walkways, access ways and electrical wires. The float and the rest of the components are designed keeping in view the ease of transportation and installation, weatherproofing (wind, sun and snow), maintenance and, in the end, cost competitiveness. Modularity is yet another important design aspect that supports a variety of conditions.

An FPV system with 1 MW capacity built with Isifloating needs 6,500 m2 including walkways in a standard design. The company’s solution is not only compatible with all sorts of inland water bodies including fresh water, brackish water, wastewater, quarry lakes, dams, irrigation reservoirs, ponds, but also for nearshore applications (see Top Players In Floating PV Industry) .

The floats are made with HDPE with antioxidant and UV resistance additives, and 2 of such floats typically house 1 module with water coverage of 28%. Every PV panel is supported by 2 floaters and the setup eases O&M activities significantly compared to when having one, especially in snowy areas. The connectors are made of fiber glass or nylon than can bend up to 70° and absorb the fatigue. The system is compatible with all standard framed modules and supports several mounting configurations including tilted south-facing, tilted east-west and landscape only. The system complies to the Eurocode as for the wind loads of 180 km/h as standard, while the company offers systems that can withstand higher wind loads with reinforced materials. The same goes for snow load; while the standard is 0.65 kN/m2, there in forced design supports higher loads of up to 0.92kN/m2. The system can handle waves of up to 0.5 m, and up to 2 m as an option with additional pontoons that act as wave breakers. Isigenere also provides anchoring and mooring systems through its strategic partner Seaflex, a specialist in anchoring and mooring, which supports wide varieties of installation possibilities. The allowable water level variation is 50 m, which is standard, and can be extended to larger variations as an option.

Isifloating comes with a standard warranty of 10 years, while the flexible Seaflex mooring system has a 20-year warranty time. The 4 key differentiators of Isigenere’s floating technology are high quality, adaptability, safety and cost efficiency, according to CEO of Isigenere Andrés Franco. The quality aspect is that the floats are injection molded, which isa higher quality and higher precision manufacturing process that is used in the aerospace industry or high-end automotive industry. The company uses thicker material of minimum thickness of 2.4 mm for any part of the float and up to 5 mm in most critical ones. Isigenere only uses virgin HDPE instead of recycled HDPE, as the latter makes it difficult to attain consistency of the technical specifications all along different batches. In addition, the floaters are added with UV and antioxidant additives for better durability. The company also does the complex testing of its products in-house, according to Franco (see Critical Aspects And Challenges In FPV Projects) .

The safety is not just concerned with the FPV system but, more importantly, the O&M personnel. Having no holes and high buoyancy are the design aspects that enhance people safety, according to Franco. As for system safety, the company works with a low tilt of 5°, and the back of the module is closed in order to avoid solar panels acting as a sail. The system is also designed to be adaptable to extreme conditions. Franco explains with an example that when the water level is lower than expected, the structure is flexible so that it can rest at the bottom of the water body. This is facilitated by the flexible mooring lines, which reduce the peak power forces that create mechanical stress on the floaters, compared to the traditional setup. The costs for FPV are not just float costs, but also include other items of the project such as logistics and installation. As for logistics, the floats of the company are designed in a way that they fit into one another like party paper cups. This way, 45 floats can be arranged in one column. The savings in logistics with Isigenere’s products are about 4 to 6 Euro cents per watt, claims Franco.

The text is an excerpt from the TaiyangNews Floating PV 2024 Report, which can be downloaded for free here.